Children of the Night
by Meranii
Summary: With Yuffie and Vincent in Spain and new young vampires loose, a battle against their hearts, their thirst, and each other ensues. FFVII, AC, KH crossover. Multiple pairings.
1. Prolouge: The Children

A/N: Time for the sequel! I'm really excited to post this and see everyone's reaction. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own Mae, and…yeah, that's it. :)

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: PROLOUGE

In most places, they call them the Children of the Night.

A woman will be standing on her porch at night, sweeping it of the fall leaves, and spot a lone, thin figure in the distance, bent at an impossible angle, unidentified by the veil of moonlight, drinking from the throat of a false lover.

Two girlfriends would turn up sitting in the bathtub at a college party, their heads lolling on each other's shoulders, appearing to be in a drunken stupor, until their ripped necks were discovered.

Mysterious deaths such as these would come up all over the country. The case would be declared "unsolved" and sit in the back of some fat policeman's filecabinet, never to be touched again. But everyone knew who was responsible.

It was the Children.

And though they were always young and beautiful, they were never, ever caught. When someone would spot them and run to save their victims, they would disappear as if they were never there before, their kill lying on the ground, dead.

The churchgoers all thought them to be works of the devil. If one of them were to show their fangs, their unnatural eyes, their skin white as if were ill with leprosy, the people of the church would scream, "Devil!" holding out their crucifixes like weapons.

And the question had always remained. What were the Children of the Night? Vampires? And if so, what truly is a vampire? Were they sent from Hell, to corrupt the world with these horrid deaths? Did they choose this path of damnation? And who _were_ they?

But the truth was, the Children did _not_ choose their curse. In fact, many loathed their way of life and struggled against it, many times resulting in their smoldering deaths. They hated killing, thought it much more terrible than death. Many of them seeked it. But some…

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Sweat dripped off Riku's face, mingling in the silver hair that was matted with water and sweat from other bodies. A girl with a cut-up black t-shirt rubbed up against him, trying to block his path and distract him. He shoved past her carelessly, desperate to find his friend.

Sora was doing just the same. He held a drink in his hand, something red that smelled strongly of alcohol, but he couldn't remember whose it was or how he ended up with it. Feeling strange, he dropped the cup, feeling its warm contents splatter on his tight jeans. The crowd was screaming and dancing and bumping to the beat with such enthusiasm, that he was sure no one had noticed. He pushed past, saying, "Excuse me!" out of polite habit when he had to shove by someone, even though surely no one could hear him.

Finally, after minutes of slamming into people he thought were Riku, and some that were definitely not, he finally saw the mass of silver hair slinging towards him. "RIKU!" he screamed, but he could hardly even hear it as soon as it left his mouth.

He shoved through the party to his tall friend, who looked distressed and overheated. His shirt was twisted and riding up, but he didn't seem to notice. He cupped a hand to Sora's ear and yelled, "Let's get out of here! This is really stupid!"

Sora nodded, and Riku grabbed his wrist, pulling him through the moving bodies, several girls attacking them each, shaking around and wailing like banshees to whatever popular song was playing.

After a long, difficult search for the door, the two boys burst out of the house, which the party was located, staring into the streets of New Orleans.

Riku ran a hand through his matted hair, grimacing as he caught the tangles. Sora's usually spiked hair had long since fallen into his eyes, making him look much older.

"I can't believe we actually went to this party." Sora said, sighing. Riku slid his hands into his slightly damp back pockets and started down the street back to his house, Sora running to catch up.

"Well, we wouldn't have gone if a certain someone promised you she would be there." Riku said, cocking an eyebrow.

Sora sighed and kicked a rock, sending it skittering across the road and near a tall bar called "Christian's". "I can't believe she wasn't even there." He said, making a face.

Riku smiled at his younger friend and said in a friendly tone, "Girls don't always do as they say. Its something I've learned over the years."

This time it was Sora's turn to roll his eyes. "You're sixteen."

Riku shoved Sora playfully, and had them both smiling again, unaware of the Children lurking in the night, and so close…

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The Child wept as he drank from the girl, wondering _why, why him, why_ was he cursed so? Why did he have to kill to survive? What was he?

Her body was slumped in his arms, her head leaning back, exposing her torn throat. The park was quiet and deserted at this late hour, aside from the Child and his kill.

Why had she approached him in the bar? She was so beautiful, with her brunette hair in a curly ponytail, with round, pink cheeks that looked like a child's. She had asked him his name, began dancing with him, up against him, her warm body feeling so good, so alive. And he hadn't drunk any blood yet, any, ever. But she smelled like sweat and flowers, and before he could help himself, he lead her outside, seduced her until she lie on the ground in the park, under the spell of his pale beauty, and he leaned in and pierced her neck.

His white hair fell in a sheath over his pale forehead, lingering in front of his eyes so that for a moment he couldn't see her face, the look of terror forever imprinted upon it. He couldn't bear to look anymore.

He dragged the limp body off into the bushes and laid her there, making sure she was in a fairly suitable position, and that her clothes didn't catch on the branches.

The Child walked off down the somewhat abandoned streets, wiping the blood from his mouth, his denim jacket swinging in the breeze. It would be dawn in another hour or so. And he was still so thirsty…

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Kairi pushed her way down the stairs at the party, scanning her eyes over the huge crowd, looking for those unmistakable chocolate spikes, or perhaps his silver haired friend, but she had been looking all over for them all night, and hadn't seen them once. The party had been a bigger turnout than she had anticipated.

It had crossed her mind several times that perhaps the two boys had stood her up. She frowned as she pushed past people, deciding to leave and get some fresh air. Sora didn't seem like the type to just lie to a girl, but he was very popular at school. And everyone knows how the popular boys can be.

Kairi sighed and shook her head, starting out the front door and down the street, picking her cell phone out of her pocket and calling her mother, who hadn't wanted her to attend the party in the first place.

"Mom?…Hey, yeah, it's me. Can you pick me up?"

"No, I'm not upset. Just tired is all. Okay, I'll wait here." She closed her flip phone, crossing her arms over her undeveloped chest.

It was a curse of being petite. Guys wanted girls with boobs; it was just a fact of life. And she was cursed with having little to none. Her A cup was not much to brag about. Sure, she was pretty cute, with short auburn hair and stunning azure eyes, but she also had a set of enormous ears, gigantic feet, and the most hideous laugh.

But it seemed that Sora had seen through that. But maybe not, now that he had stood her up.

Mostly older people roamed the streets after midnight on a weekend in New Orleans, which made Kairi feel very unsafe. She made sure that she had her phone in her hand, so that she could call 911 if something were to happen.

All people seemed dark and unrecognizable tonight. They all laughed and talked under their breath, as if they were all secrets that had to be kept. A man approached her with a hat in his eyes and tried to grab her. Kairi, alarmed, yelped and walked off quickly, leaving the man and his friends to laugh at her.

The heels of her kitten pumps clicked on the sidewalk as she tried to find somewhere light and public to wait for her mother. She chose a bench by a market, which was under a streetlamp. Sighing, she took a seat and waited.

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The Child could not get over what he had just done. In the middle of the night, to a perfectly innocent girl, he had drank her blood like a cannibal and left her corpse in a shrub.

His eyes were red from weeping, and he started to feel the drowsiness of reality sink in. He had to stop and think for a moment. He was walking down a fairly deserted street, or deserted for New Orleans, for that matter. Several groups of people walked to wherever their lives were leading them, hopefully not into the arms of a monster like himself…

Feeling worse by the moment, he quickly crossed the street, seeing a bench under the streetlight. The light, which would not shield his face, the face so white and perfect it looked like it were sculpted of marble. It would not disguise his eyes, the horrid eyes that were once a beautiful shade of ocean blue, but were now like blue ice rimmed with black. And that light would definitely not hide his worst new feature of all, his white daggered canine teeth.

He noticed, only too late, that there was a girl sitting on that bench. She wore a light yellow cardigan over her silk black dress, and she had her arms wrapped around her as if she were cold, or perhaps frightened. Her blue eyes stared straight at him as he approached the bench, burning through him.

He didn't want to be anywhere near a human. Especially a human so pretty and young as she. But he needed somewhere to stop for a while, and he was already headed straight for the bench. He promised himself that he would not touch her, would not talk to her, and would not let her know of his inhuman secrets.

He sat beside the girl, hoping she wanted to be left alone, and would leave. After several minutes, she sighed, but despite his hopes, did not get up. He prayed she would let him alone and not say anything…

"Are you waiting for someone?" Her voice was soft and delicate, and rang in the night like tiny bells.

He shrugged. "I don't know what I'm waiting for." He answered, hoping she wouldn't ask any further.

She placed her chin on her hand, leaning over. She didn't look at him, but he kept a close eye on her out of the corner of his eye. _Please get up,_ he begged in his mind. _Please, before I do something I don't want to do…_

"Me either." She replied sadly. He wondered what that meant, but remained silent.

A group of figures in black approached. He could tell they were male. With his vampire senses, he could sense things that humans could not. He could smell the cologne, even though they were fifty feet away. They reeked of masculinity and self-proclaimed power.

They laughed and shoved each other as they walked, just as he had done before he turned immortal. They were just a bunch of harmless Goth boys, no more or less. But the air about them worried him.

Once they reached the bench, he prayed they would continue on their way. But one of them held out his hand, stopping the others. He turned his head toward the Child and the girl, a smirk on his face. He was shorter than the others, with long black hair with a streak of pink in the front. He was obviously the leader.

The others nodded at each other and approached the girl with curiosity.

"Hi, sweetheart." Said the black haired one, extending his hand.

The girl looked up at him with obvious nervousness in her eyes, and she didn't shake it. He lowered it, his smirk widening.

"Hi." She replied dully, her voice like a whimper.

The other boys snickered and elbowed each other.

"Are you waiting for somebody?" He pried, and reached out to touch the side of her face.

She flinched, then said, "Yeah, I am."

"Who, then?"

With a furious blush on her cheeks, she said quickly, "I don't think that's any of your business."

The boy's smirk left his face and he nearly growled; "Honey, I thinks it's completely going to be my business here in a minute…" He took her by the collar of her cardigan and yanked her up. She looked so frightened that it broke the Child's heart. But what could he do to help her, when it would only result in her thanking him, which would only result in her wanting to get to know him, which would only result…badly.

The boys began ripping off her cardigan. The Child became quickly aware that if he didn't do something, the girl would end up hurt, raped, or killed. He stood up with vampire-like speed and stood in front of the girl, leaving the ones who were undressing her looking stunned, wondering how he got there so quickly.

"Don't touch her." He said calmly, grabbing the girl by her wrist and pulling her next to him. The boys were so stunned that he yanked her cardigan from their hands with ease, and handed it to her. She, herself, looked somewhat frightened of him, and her eyes shone with tears.

The leader stepped close to the Child, inches from his face, sizing him up, even though the Child had at least a foot on him. The Child kept his face serious, and didn't even flinch while the boy did his best to be intimidating. He knew that with his superhuman strength, it would take ten full-grown men to make him back down.

"What are you gonna do, faggot? Got some pepper spray or something?" the leader taunted, pressing a fist into the Child's ribs.

With ease, he took the fist, wrenched it backwards, watching the boys face contort in pain, and said flatly, "I've got a little more up my sleeve than that."

As if hurting the leader were some sort of signal, the other boys advanced on the Child, but the leader held up a hand, and they halted. "I'll take care of this one," he muttered.

He grabbed the girl by the waist and pulled her to him, out of the Child's grasp. "I'll touch her as I please." He said bluntly, tearing off the cardigan once again. The girl cried out as he tried to rip open her dress.

As if the Child were going to stand there and watch him rape her? He laughed and sent his steel fist slamming into the side of the boy's face. The blow knocked him backward, onto his own group of friends, who all had the same look of utter shock on their faces. The Child took the girl by the hand and gently led her away from the boys, who were too scared to move.

They walked down the street in silence, before the girl said, her voice quivering, "Why did you do that?"

The Child kept his face low, so that she wouldn't see his gaunt, beautiful features. "Why shouldn't I have?"

The girl laughed, "Because you don't know me! A normal stranger would have gotten up and left, had they seen that! But you didn't! Why?"

The Child shrugged. "I couldn't have left you. I couldn't bear to see something like that."

The girl stopped. "Who are you? At least tell me your name?"

The Child stopped as well. He turned to her, considering this, praying she could not fully see his face.

"My name is Mae." He said, and like magic, he left, as if he had never been there at all.

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Please read and review! Chapter one should be up very soon.

Mel


	2. There is Too Much Blood

Chapter One is here! By the way, if you're a newcomer to this story, and you don't want to read Valentine Manor, it doesn't really matter. You could probably read this and it will make complete since without reading it. So please do! And don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: MAE IS MINE. BACK OFF, BIOTCHES. Lol I don't own the rest though. Dang…

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER ONE

Sora's insides flamed with jealousy when Kairi explained the next Monday at school that a boy named Mae had rescued her from rape.

"He was like an angel! After he led me away, he just disappeared, as if I had imagined him!" She said, laughing.

Riku nudged Sora's knee under the table and gave him a knowing look.

Sora was already slightly angry with Kairi for not finding him at the party, but of course that wasn't her fault. But Sora blamed her, blindly. Especially after he heard about Mae.

Kairi's senior friend, Aerith, leaned into the table with a mischievous look on her face. "Was he hot?"

Sora's hand balled into a fist as he saw Kairi's face redden with embarrassment and she shrugged slowly. "Maybe…?" she drawled.

Sora stood up, Riku instinctively following suit.

"What's wrong, Sora? Jealous, much?" Aerith giggled, nudging Kairi with her elbow. Sora felt his face flare as he glared at her and quickly walked away.

Riku tugged on Sora's track jacket sleeve as soon as they were out of earshot. "She's not your girlfriend, you know. Maybe you should lighten up."

Sora turned to glare at him with blue furious eyes. Riku knew Sora's limits, and he definitely knew this look meant "shut up or die."

Riku shrugged and added, "I just don't want to see you tore up over some chick like Kairi."

Sora sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets and setting off to fourth hour without saying another word to his best friend.

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Sora lie, balled up in his twisted Power Ranger sheets on his bed, only the light of his alarm clock blaring the time, 8:30, through the darkness.

He wasn't asleep. He'd dosed off earlier, but had snapped back into reality and lay on his back, naked except for a pair of tattered boxers.

There was something about Kairi that kept his attention, made him want her. Sora knew good and well that he could get basically any girl at school (and outside of it, for that matter) that he wanted, but Kairi was the only one that caught his eye, made him think of things other girls didn't, like serious relationships.

But Kairi never seemed to return that attention. Sure, she'd flirted with him, but girls flirt with anything that breathes. It was the day before in Science, while dissecting a pig fetus, that they had really begun to talk.

"This is disgusting. Completely inhumane." Kairi muttered under her breath, grabbing the scalpel from beside Sora, who was slowly making the incision in his pig with a grimace.

"I'd hate to be these pigs." He commented, faking a vomit gesture as the contents of the pig's insides spilled onto his wax paper.

Kairi noticed how cute he looked while he made sarcastic faces, and smiled, but made sure he didn't see.

"You going to the party at Yvette's tonight?" Kairi asked, making conversation.

Sora shrugged one shoulder. "I dunno. I don't know anyone else that's going."

The teacher, Mr. Irvine, stood up, brushing his gloved hands on his slacks, and said, "Bell should ring any minute. Be sure to clean up correctly, we'll study the intestines tomorrow."

As the students gathered their things and washed their utensils, Kairi said to Sora, so that only he could hear, "Well, I'll be there."

Now in his bedroom, thinking back on this, he realized how simple of a suggestion it was, and how it had probably meant absolutely nothing to her. She was probably just being polite.

He ran a hand over his tight stomach, to where his hip bones met his waistband. He could think of a thousand reasons why Kairi might not like him. Maybe he was too skinny, too short, too obnoxious, too quiet, too flirty…and all this thinking made him feel even worse.

He rolled over and stared at the clock, watching the numbers turn to 8:31 and wondering why things hadn't turned out better. Things had been hard for him for a while, ever since his cousin, Cloud, had died.

He'd been pretty close to Cloud ever since he was little. They were two years apart, with Cloud being two years older, but had always stuck together, with each of them the only child in their family.

Sora had even loved his girlfriend, Tifa, and just knew they would get married and live a perfectly happy life together.

That was before the accident.

Apparently, Cloud had gone on vacation after he'd graduated with Tifa and several other friends into the mountains. Everything seemed fine, and there was no word of him for five or six days, before Cloud's mother told Sora's mother that there had been a car accident and Cloud and his friend, Squall, had been killed.

Sora was devastated. Not even Riku knew Sora like Cloud had. He was everything to him, made him feel alright when he knew he wasn't. And now he was gone.

He still felt lost and helpless without his cousin and best friend to fall back on. His mother told him that death happened, it was a part of life, and that he would have to move on. But moving on is even harder when everything else in life is going just as badly.

Although it was entirely too early for him, he put his head on his pillow and made a feeble attempt at sleep, willing himself to the land of dreams.

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It was night. Dark, velvet night, the kind of night when you can't see a foot in front of you. The kind of night that, although the air is not entirely cold, you feel as if your very bones are shivering.

Sora looked around himself, trying to peer ahead of him, behind him, to identify where he was. He could see nothing except deep, endless black, and hazy fog that lingered over and around him like disease.

He put his arms around himself, hugging for warmth, and tried to walk around a little. After several minutes of walking, nothing had changed. The ground underneath him was still flat and hard, and everything still looked completely pitch black and empty.

Sora began to panic. He ran in every direction possible, hands outstretched, waiting to crash into a wall, or to see something, anything.

Finally, he stopped, realizing that it was hopeless, breathing hard, watching his breath come out in puffs of white.

It was so deathly quiet that his ears rang. Never had he heard such silence, such silence that even his thoughts felt vulnerable.

And suddenly, breaking the silence, there were footsteps.

They were slow and irregular, as if the person was walking with a limp. Sora became very frightened, and his first thought was, "RUN!" but he could not figure out which direction the footsteps were coming from.

He decided to close his eyes and keep deathly still, so that perhaps he could wake from this vivid dream. Or if it wasn't a dream, the footsteps would pass and not harm him.

Minutes passed before the footsteps came to a halt. They had never grown louder, nor softer, so Sora's fear had stayed with him, taunting him. But suddenly the deafening silence filled the atmosphere once again, and Sora slowly and frightfully opened his eyes.

There, in the fog, not a foot in front of him, was Cloud. He looked just as he had last Christmas, the last time he had seen him. His hair was up in its golden spikes, and he wore the same leather jacket that he always did, the one with the huge tear in the shoulder that he had patched with a patch that said, "POSER".

He was even smiling at Sora, the same old good-looking smile that had been his trademark. But there was one very big difference. His eyes were pitch black.

When Sora noticed this, he cried out and stumbled back, but Cloud took a step forward, keeping silent.

Sora couldn't find his voice. What would he say to his dead cousin? What was left to say?

"There is too much blood, Sora."

Cloud's voice was different. It was deeper, it was more melancholy. It sounded as if he had spiderwebs clogging up his throat.

Sora tried to figure out what he meant, but couldn't possibly make sense of it.

"W-what?" he stuttered, his voice shaky.

Cloud's facial expression left him, and replaced itself with a deeply concerned look, the same look his mother might give if he had pneumonia.

"I only see blood when I look at you." He told him.

Sora shook his head and said, "I…I don't know what you mean."

Cloud reached out and grabbed Sora's wrist. His grip was like steel. Sora struggled, but found he could not get away.

"Timing, Sora! Timing is everything. We don't have enough time!" he cried, pulling Sora close to him and looking him straight in the eye with irises like black coal.

"I didn't have enough time. You don't have enough time. There's so much blood, Sora…"

A tear streamed hopelessly down Sora's face. "I…don't know what you're talking about! What are you trying to tell me?" he whimpered.

Cloud let go and backed away from his cousin, looking confused, as if he didn't remember where he was.

"There is so much blood…" He whispered, his voice carried away into the fog, as he backed away, into the velvet black, and disappeared.

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Sora woke up, drenched in sweat, panting as if he had just run a mile without stopping to breathe.

His head was pounding, and he reached over his nightstand to flip on the lightswitch. Fluorescent light filled the room, and Sora looked to his clock and saw that it was 6:45 am.

He shot up in his bed, thoughts of his terrible dream leaving him. "Shit! I'm late!" He muttered, jumping out of bed and grabbing some dirty jeans from the cluttered floor and tugging them on.

As he stood in the bathroom ten minutes later, spiking his unruly hair, he suddenly remembered what Cloud had said in the dream with those eyes like the nighttime; "There is too much blood, Sora."

Sora frowned. What did that mean, there was too much blood? And didn't he say something weird about timing?

Thinking it must have just been a meaningless nightmare, he pulled on a t-shirt and forgot all about it.

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It was the second week that Mae hadn't gone to school. He had very accurately managed to make his mother believe him to be deathly sick with the flu, and it wasn't hard for him to fake, either.

His world seemed to be turning in on itself from the inside. He was like an alien in his own home. Everything seemed foreign. When his mother would bring him lunch in on a tray, seeing her long, loose ponytail of white hair and watery blue eyes was like seeing a stranger.

His sister sensed it. She was only two years older than Mae, and had always been very close to him. She could see it in his eyes, that he was different, that he was doing something strange, and very bad. He knew she was onto him.

His father had left their mother when Mae was in the eighth grade. His father was always a very uptight man, and he spent a lot of time in his office, where Mae and his sister were not allowed to go. He thought the children were a burden that took up his work time. Eventually, Mae woke up one day and he was gone.

His mother had never remarried. She said one husband was enough to last a lifetime, and she'd much rather be married to herself. She was a free spirited woman, a Buddhist and a vegetarian, and saw the positive side in everything.

She still thought Mae was bound to get better any day now. But Mae knew good and well that he would never get better.

He lay on his bed sideways, with his long legs hanging off the end, feeling in a daze, a weak throb pulsing in his gums. He had learned to ignore the subtle pain, but eventually it would become unbearable and he would be forced to satisfy it.

His hands were twisting in the sheet beside him as he looked into the long mirror that was across from him on the wall. Nothing was reflected, and he was glad for that. It was as if he weren't ever there at all. He was glad he couldn't see his horrible reflection, and how much he was changed. He wouldn't know the man in his reflection. That man was so sickly thin and pale, and the ghostly hair hang limply in the eyes. The eyes that were the most frightening feature of all. The eyes like piercing blue eyes, with a thick ring of black encircling them.

"What am I?" he whispered to himself, touching the perfect face, the stunningly beautiful features.

Mae had been beautiful even before he had transformed. He had a strong jaw, thick lips, and those incredible oceanic eyes. He almost had a feminine quality, so that even straight men would stare at him with his angelic features. Truly, the transformation had made him even more beautiful, with his features becoming sharper and paler, and when he drank they lit up with godlike quality.

Mae wondered if it was his cursed looks that had attracted that cute female vampire to him in Spain. The night was a blur now, but he could remember the trip up until his siring very clearly.

His sister had always wanted to travel. As a child, she would sit with huge historical books propped open in her lap, fantasizing about the mystical world of Greece, the cultural country of Spain, the people of Japan.

They were not very wealthy, so every opportunity to travel was practically closed. With his sister, Athena's birthday nearing, he saved up enough money from his job at a fast food joint to fly them both to Spain for the weekend.

Little did he know that that trip would ruin his life forever.

The trip went well, and when Athena suggested that she wanted to go to the club, naturally, Mae had agreed, even though clubs weren't really his speed. He went without thinking, and when she danced off with some Spanish man, he didn't think to follow her.

And Yuffie was so sweet, so cute, so _like _him. He barely had time to think anything sexual towards her before she had returned the favor, drank from him, and left him unconscious in the alley.

The details after that grew fuzzy. He woke up in the Spanish hospital, feeling positively dreadful, and extremely confused. Athena was beside him, holding his hand with tight fingers, explaining to him that he had been mugged and was found in an alleyway.

"I was so worried. I'm so glad you're okay. " Athena had whispering, not realizing that her brother was not okay, not nearly.

He transformed the next night, back in New Orleans. He had no idea what was happening to him, and thank whatever gods watched him that he was home alone when it happened. He thought he was dying, having a stroke or a heart attack, never remembering once what the girl had done to him in the alley.

When he felt his mouth after the throbbing had subsided, he felt the fangs. Alarmed and surprised, he screamed and ran for the bathroom. Where he discovered he had no reflection.

He didn't tell anyone because he figured he was going mad. He rented all sorts of movies and read all the vampire books he could get his hands on. All had different theories and traits of a vampire, and it was never clear whether he truly was one or not until he felt the bloodlust.

That was when he had killed that girl in the park.

And now, two days later, her blood was no longer coursing through his veins and he was growing thirstier by the second. He imagined pale throats in his head, plump breasts and tight stomachs, fantasizing about ripping the flesh and lapping up spicy, New Orleans blood.

Athena entered his bedroom, and at this he switched off his lamp so that she could not see how deathly ill he looked.

His sister had the same long, baby fine blond hair, that she wore in a braid that reached her waist. She was the spitting image of her mother, but the expression she wore on her face was much different. It was concerned, it was almost…accusing.

She sighed as she came in and sat beside him on the edge of the bed. She looked back at him as she studied his pathetic condition, with his sweatpants hanging from his hips and his chest gleaming ghostly white in the dim room.

"I'm worried about you." She said softly, looking away from him. Mae said nothing. There was nothing to say.

"Something's changed in you, something bad, and I don't understand why you won't tell me." Mae saw for the first time that there were tears in her eyes. He tried with difficulty not to look at the ashen cheeks and imagine the warm blood coursing through them. To stop himself, again he said nothing.

"I don't think you're sick, Mae. You don't act sick. You act as if you're dying inside, and you won't tell me a thing!" Athena exclaimed, her voice shaky.

"I've got the flu, Athena. I just don't feel well." Mae croaked, his voice not supporting his statement.

"You aren't the same brother anymore. You're someone else." She said, and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

And she didn't realize then, how right she was.

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Please read and review! Next chapter should be up soon, I've got it planned out and whatnot. Yay!

Mel


	3. Beautiful Killers

A/N: I edited the first chapter because I realized there was a scene where Mae looks into the mirror and marvels at his reflection, and then I realized that he doesn't have a reflection. So I went back and changed that.

Disclaimer: I own Mae! He isn't yours! and um…yeah that's all I own. The rest belongs to their respected owners.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER TWO

Kairi crossed her arms over her binder and walked down the hall to first period, her insides feeling like hot liquid metal in her stomach.

Sora had been so cold to her this morning! He'd acted as if he couldn't even see her, like she was just any other girl, when she knew good and well that that was far from what he really thought.

And somehow, it made Kairi mad. It wasn't that she liked Sora persay, but…well she liked talking to him, and she liked the way she felt when she was with him. She wondered if he was still miffed about what she said about Mae. She actually liked the fact that he got mad. It just showed how much he cared about her.

She turned a corner, nearly pummeling into a group of giggling girls. "Excuse me." She said softly as she passed them.

Down the nearly empty hallway, she realized that she was going to be late. Quickening her speed, she began to break into a run.

And that's when she saw him.

It was Mae, walking quickly with his head down, his arms crossed around a black binder labeled "French II". He looked just as he had the night he'd saved her, with the exception of the lighting was better. In fact he looked even more angelic in the light.

Kairi thought to stop and talk to him, but she was so shocked to see him there, in school of all places, that she walked right past him. The liquid metal in her stomach hardened and morphed into butterflies.

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At lunch, Kairi usually sat with Sora, Riku, Aerith, and friends that would come and go from the same table, everyday. She always sat in between Sora and Tidus, across from Aerith.

Sora knew Kairi was at school, because he'd blown her off that morning. So when lunch was halfway over and Kairi still hadn't showed up at the table, Sora knew something was up.

Riku must have noticed Sora mashing his Cheese Nips into crumbs, because he nudged his knee gently and gave him a look like, "What's up?"

Sora looked away and surveyed the cafeteria for the short crop of auburn hair. It was nowhere to be found.

Sora touched Riku's shoulder and said, "Come on, let's walk around."

They walked out of the lunch room and into the courtyard. Riku sighed and said, "Don't tell me you're worried about where she's at."

Sora shrugged a shoulder, still searching for Kairi's face. "I just want to know why she's not here." He said.

And then he spotted her.

She was leaning up against a small tree, her long white skirt fluttering in the breeze, laughing at something that was obviously very funny. And next to her stood a boy. A boy Sora had seen in the halls before, but had never thought much of. He had platinum, almost white, shaggy hair that he wore very straight and in his eyes. He wore a torn up denim jacket and khakis. He didn't look like anyone else. Sora wondered who he was.

"Who's that with her?" Riku asked, squinting to see the person closer.

"Oh that's just…oh _shit_." Riku mumbled, realizing the words as the registered together like pieces to a puzzle.

Sora looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh shit what? Who is that?"

Riku looked away from Sora so he wouldn't have to see the expression on his face. "That's Mae."

" _What? _You mean that guy that she's in love with all the sudden?"Sora exclaimed, shoving Riku's shoulder in his frustration.

Riku shrugged. "It's the only dude named Mae I know, I don't know about you…"

Sora studied the tall, thin boy with almost envy. There was no way he was giving up Kairi to some fag that didn't know how to dress.

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Vincent Valentine was lying on his bed in the luxurious Spanish bedroom, his hand on his stomach, watching Yuffie as she danced about the room while the record played swing music.

"I love it here, it's like living in the past." Yuffie murmered. She seemed lost in thoughts, and Vincent decided not to disturb that. It was rare that Yuffie was ever so peaceful and not stressed.

Yuffie stopped suddenly, her short hair falling messily around her face. "Don't you like it here?"

Vincent ran a hand over the bedspread. "I suppose."

Yuffie grinned and jumped onto the bed beside him. "Tell me you like it here!" She said playfully, laying at his side, with her chin on his chest.

Vincent forced a small smile. "If you like it here, I like it here." He said.

Yuffie grinned, but the light left her face. "You're just saying that. You don't like it here, I can tell. You never want to do anything anymore." Her voice sounded whiny. Vincent hated that voice. That voice meant whatever she wanted, she was going to get.

Vincent shrugged her off and sat up, looking out the window to the brightly lit Spanish street. She could sense that his mind was somewhere else, but he was nearly impossible to read.

"Don't you ever want to know where the rest of our kind are?" He asked softly, partially not intending for her to hear him at all.

Yuffie was used to his "wall talking", and could understand him perfectly. "You mean more vampires."

Vincent nodded. "More immortals. You must know we aren't the only ones."

Yuffie shrugged. "Yeah, of course. But we're okay by ourselves, aren't we? We've got eternity to figure out all the questions we've got about our kind."

Vincent got up and poured some red liquid out of a wine bottle that did not contain wine at all. He put the glass to his lips and sipped it, tasting the rich flavor.

"You may not be so desperate to learn, love. But I have spent 80 years cooped up in a mansion wondering what the hell I was."

Yuffie looked up. "Are you saying you want to leave Spain?"

Vincent shrugged. "I do. But I will stay here until you are ready to move on."

Yuffie's mouth dropped. He had acted like he wanted to stay in Spain with her for a long while, and now he spoke of leaving! She just knew he'd been daydreaming of something else all those weekends in the Spainish boulevards, she could see it in the way he hardly looked at her, as if he wasn't even there.

"And where do you want to travel where you will meet these immortals?" She asked, her voice laced with sarcasm and bitterness.

Vincent looked at her as if she was about three years old, a look she had been seeing quite frequently lately. "Have you read nothing about your kind? All the books speak of immortals in New Orleans. That is where I wish to go."

Yuffie shrugged and walked across the room. "Go for it, then. Just don't expect me to come along." She spat.

Vincent sighed as he knew this statement would begin one of their arguments, one of the many that had come up in the small apartment since they had arrived.

"I didn't expect you to." He said softly, taking another sip of blood, partially hoping she would hear him.

Yuffie stopped and looked at him with a red, angry face. "Well you go then! I'll just go off and find someone else to live with me in Spain, preferably someone sweet, sexy, and _male_!"

Vincent laughed despite his attempt to keep a straight face. He massaged his temple. "Grow up, darling."

Yuffie walked out of the room with her fists clenched at her side.

Vincent sighed from his chair. On the count of five, he thought. Five, Four, Three, Two…

Yuffie burst back into the room, her face still red as if she were about to strike him. "Fine, I'll go. But only because I love you and I want you to be happy."

Vincent patted his leg, and Yuffie promptly seated herself there and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing her face in close to his.

"Chéri, mon coeur est le vôtre." Vincent whispered softly against her ear, and all was well in the lives of the two immortals, for they were so deeply in love.

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Riku sat on the balcony of the second floor of his house, watching the sun set pink and orange over the horizon. He had always liked it out there, so peaceful, where he could just sit in his rocking chair and think about whatever he wanted, without being interrupted. His mother knew when she passed the door to the balcony that that was Riku's alone time, and she never disturbed him. No one ever came onto the balcony except Riku. He had never invited anyone to go out there because it was like it held all his secrets, and it was his and only his, like his heart.

On this night he sat out there, sharing with the evening the secret that seemed to be eating him from the inside out. He was so confused that it drove him to the point of insanity.

He wondered what was going on in that brain of his, and how everything worked up there. The mind was such a complex thing to him, and he hardly even understood his own sometimes.

Riku had grown up with Sora. They had met in kindergarten and had immediately bonded. Their parents thought this was adorable and planned outings so that they could do various little boy things.

But they had grown up, of course. The bond that still held them together like brothers was still there. They had gotten through pubrety, dumb crushes, backstabbing girlfriends, voice changes, and various other things teenage boys experience. But now _this._

How could he tell Sora? How in the world would Sora understand, or return the feelings? _Why_ did he feel this way towards his best friend?

It was one night that Riku had been spending the night with Sora that he had realized it. Riku and Sora had been listening to Goth music and telling each other their secrets for hours. It was probably well past midnight, and Sora's eyes could barely stay open.

He was wearing a pair of Hot Tamale sweat pants and nothing else. His hair was sticking up in various odd directions, and Riku would have laughed hysterically at him if he wasn't so damn tired.

Suddenly Sora's eyes snapped open and gazed at Riku with almost wonder. "How are you so sure of yourself?" He said, his voice clearer than Riku had expected.

"What do you mean?" He asked, propping himself up on the tattered pillow he lay on.

Sora continued gazing at him. "You just never seem afraid of anything. I wish I could be more like you. Sometimes I think I'm worthless."

Riku was suddenly very awake. "You aren't worthless." He replied sharply.

He noticed Sora's eyes were brimming with wetness. Tears, Riku thought suddenly. I've never seen him cry.

"Then why do I feel like it all the time?" He nearly whispered.

Riku took his younger, smaller friend into his arms and hugged him tight. He felt Sora place his chin above his shoulder. Riku rocked him back and forth as if he were a child. Feeling Sora's arms around his neck, his small, warm body against him, something felt strangely _right. _Right like nothing else had ever felt.

He thought about what it would feel like to kiss Sora. To tilt his head back and feel his silky lips against his, warm and smoothe. To put his hand on his bare chest and feel the heartbeat that pulsed beneath the skin.

As soon as he thought this, he pulled away from Sora. Sora's face lit up with a red blush. "That was gay, man, I'm sorry." Sora stumbled over his words and quicky grabbed a blanket off his bed to set up his pallete.

Riku thought to say, "No, it was what I needed. Thank you." But the thought better of it and shook his head. "Yeah, that _was_ gay. This never leaves this room."

Neither of them had ever spoken aloud to each other or anyone else of the experience again. Riku thought about it often, when Sora would say something to him and all Riku could see was the little boy with messy hair and tears brimming in his wide, azure eyes.

But the thing that bothered Riku was, he _wasn't_ gay. He had never had a gay thought run through his head. He was as straight as they came. He sneaked peeks down girls shirts, he burped in public, he spoke with horrible grammer and flirted with a different girl nearly every day.

And although he thought lots of girls were cute, he couldn't imagine any of their thin bodies in his arms, holding onto his neck, like he could Sora. His best friend. None of them would fit him perfectly, none of them knew his soul or exactly the way he did his hair or his favorite ice cream like Sora did.

Shaking his head from these foreign thoughts, he remembered who he was. He was Riku; a guy who worked out every night and thought and thought Carmen Electra was the hottest thing on two legs.

These were just typical confused thoughts that every teenage guy had, nothing more, nothing less…right?

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Two men of silver hair stood in the darkness, their arms around the boy's necks, leading them towards the river.

Each had the same thoughts going through their heads, _we must feed. We must._

Their sillouhettes played out on the river, but their faces would not show up in the water. They were like two pale ghosts, to haunting spirits that had awaken from the dead. And yet still had powers that no human could imagine.

One of them was taller than the other, with long, silver hair that fell to his mid-back. He appeared almost gypsy-like, with tilty green eyes that almost came to slits at the pupils. He seemed shyer than the other, but had an aura about him that was unmistakably attractive to anyone he passed.

The other was slender and sleek, with hair of the same color that fell to just past his chin. His eyes were of the same luminescent green, that seemed to glow in the dark like a cats. When he laughed, it rang throughout the night like a siren.

The boys at the bar had immediately been attracted to the Children, even though they were straight men. They could hardly resist their beautiful features or the way they moved together like one, curvy, sensual body.

The Children lead the boys down to the river bank, close enough to the river so that they could slip their bodies in when they had drank their fill, and yet far enough so that the boys would not notice that they had no reflection in the dark water.

The long haired one slipped his hand up his victim's shirt and whispered into the boy's ear. The boy shuddered, under too much of his spell to move a muscle. After a moment of flirting, he pressed his teeth to the boy's neck and sank his gleaming teeth into the soft flesh there.

The other Child waited for the boy to come to him. He sat there with his arms crossed, looking at the boy with glowing eyes that seemed haunting.

"Why are your eyes so beautiful?" The boy murmured stupidly.

The Child said nothing, and shrugged. "Good genes pay off, I guess." He replied, his voice slightly high-pitched and hollow.

"You are so beautiful." The boy mused, his words coming out like mumbles as he finally kissed the Child. The Child, timidly at first, returned the kiss, deepened it, bit the soft flesh of the boy's mouth and felt the blood burst straight into his mouth there, like the nectar of life. The boy whimpered but did not struggle, which was wiser than most.

After 100 years of killing humans, the Child was aware of every possibility of killing, so that he knew when he had to stop drinking or go in for the kill. He sensed more humans near, and pulled away from the now unconcious and bleeding boy.

"There are humans coming!" He whispered to his friend, who was writhing on top of his victim, draining him of every drop.

He perked his head up, his mouth covered in black blood. "I know, I can smell them." He replied, sliding the boy's body to the side of the river where he gently pushed it in. The other Child did the same, and they watched the bodies float for a moment before slowly falling to the bottom.

The two figures walked away into the moonlight, undetected by all humans, back to being the beautiful men in the bars, the beautiful seduction, the beautiful killers.

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Woo hoo! SHOCK! Yes, my friends, there will probably be quite a bit of yaoi in this story. The reason for this is because in every good vampire story I've ever read, the vampires aren't gay or lesbian, they are simply unisex, and they're all equally beautiful. So, there will be quite a bit of yaoi in this, although I don't consider it yaoi or yuri, just…sexual content. In general.

By the way, in case you don't know French and were curious, "Chéri, mon coeur est le vôtre" means "Darling, you have my heart." AW!

Anyone have any guesses at who the two silver haired men are? I think its pretty dang easy, but cookies for you if you guess right. Please read and review!

Mel


	4. Relationships

A/N: Chapter Three is heerrrreee! I'm thinking about boosting the rating up to M on this story. I just realized how much "content" (if you know what I mean) there is in this story. Read this chapter, and know that most of the chapters will have sexual content like this one does. In your review, if you could just say plainly whether you think I should change it or not, it would be greatly appreciated.

And for those of you that aren't a fan of slash, I really hope that eventually you will quit thinking of it as "slash". Because really it isn't. Vampires don't really have a sex…their not homosexual or heterosexual…they're just sexual. But if you're still narrow minded enough to not be able to look past that, don't read it.

Disclaimer: I own Mae. He is mine and not yours. The rest belong to their respected owners.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER THREE

Sora's hands balled in to fists that he rested at his sides. There was a bit of sweat gracing his upper lip, and his eyes glanced nervously around the school campus, searching for her familiar face.

He knew she was angry at how he had acted. Hell, _he_ was angry about how he had acted. But he couldn't take that back, not now. He knew she didn't want him. She wanted _Mae_, only _Mae_, that skinny boy with weird clothes. _Like an angel,_ she'd said, but to Sora he was far from it.

He knew that he was probably the last person on earth Kairi would like to see on this early Friday morning, but he had to take his chances with that. If he didn't do this now, he might never have the chance again.

He saw her, talking to some other girls, leaning against the pillar in the front of the school. She looked so innocent and beautiful in her jeans and white sweater, she looked so perfect when she smiled and showed all of her perfectly alligned teeth. For a moment, Sora wondered what those teeth tasted like.

He approached her quickly, wanting to get it overwith. She either didn't see him or pretended not to, as she didn't look up the entire time he was coming towards her until he was two feet away.

She looked up, a questioning look on her face. The other girls also studied him, and one of them giggled.

"Um," He sputtered, "Kairi? Can I talk to you…for a minute?"

He felt so stupid as she looked at him like she didn't even know who he was, like he was some parasite that she deeply wanted to be rid of. The other girls whispered amoungst themselves and swiftly walked away.

She turned towards him, her books clutched to her chest, looking particularly annoyed. "What?" she asked sharply. "What do you want?"

Sora bit his bottom lip and thought seriously about forgetting it and walking away. She obviously wanted nothing to do with him, otherwise she wouldn't be acting like this. It was a waste of his time, and just an excuse for him to get himself hurt, but he figured he should take it like a man this time.

"I was wondering if you'd go out with me."

Kairi stared at him with big, blank eyes, like he had just spit out words that were completely incomprehensible. He figured she would scream. "NO!" and run off to catch up with her friends, or perhaps roll her eyes and say, "Maybe in your _dreams_."

But she said none of that, only looked at him as if he were insane.

Finally, she opened her mouth and slowly said, "You mean, as in, me be your girlfriend?"

Her voice was not cold, but nor was it happy or warm or cheerful. He wondered what went on in the mind of the woman and why it was so damn confusing.

Sora nodded. "Yeah." He said.

Kairi looked at him for a moment and then her face broke out in a smile. She put her hand on his shoulder and said, "You're a really cool guy and all, but I have feelings for someone else. Sorry."

And she walked away, but he watched her back until she turned around the corner of the building and was out of his sight. He couldn't believe his ears.

_What _had she just said? _Feelings_ for someone else? Like _Mae_, perhaps? Sora could hardly stand just thinking about that name, that name that was keeping him from his happiness, keeping him from the only girl that could make him smile.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as the people filed past him, on their way to first period. Sora knew Riku would be wondering where he was, but at that point nothing else mattered except what he couldn't have, what was just out of his grasp.

The tardy bell rang, and still he stood in the slightly cold August air, letting the wind whip against him and through his thin track jacket, and he almost wished it would make him sick.

Without even thinking, he walked down the road, not knowing where he was headed, away from school, and away from the hurt that came along with it.

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Sora came back to school at lunch after wandering around town for several hours. He had done a lot of thinking, about Kairi, the dream about Cloud, about Riku and Mae, and about himself.

He figured the whole Kairi ordeal was pretty pointless. Why get all pissed off if someone just downright doesn't want to date you? He couldn't _make_ Kairi like him. He couldn't make anything happen at all.

It was a waste of time.

After walking past shopping centers, fast food resteraunts, and Cul de Sacs, he realized that skipping school was a waste of time as well. A waste of time that would cause his parents to be very pissed at him.

He walked back slowly, keeping an eye on the time as the cars on the highway zoomed past. He kept an eye on his digital watch so that he would make it back by lunchtime. Then he'd explain to Riku what had happened and why, and perhaps have a word with Kairi.

He shook his head as that idea came to him. _Have a word with her? What would you say to her? What's left to say?_

So when he stepped onto the school campus, comepletely unnoticed by some of his peers he passed, he realized he did have something to say to Kairi. In fact, he had a hell of a _lot_ to say to her, starting with at what point did she hate him so much, and what did Mae have that he hadn't? Bad clothes? Stringy hair?

He walked inside to the lunchroom, where Riku and Tidus were eating alone, Kairi and Aerith and her group of friends nowhere in sight.

Sora sat down beside Riku, seeing the shocked look on Tidus' face. "How ya doing, buddy? Just decide to waltz right on in?" he asked sarcastically, shoving Sora's shoulder from across the table.

Sora grinned and looked to Riku, who was eating his burger silently. "Yeah, I asked Kairi out this morning and got turned down, so I decided to take a walk." Sora explained, reaching over to steal Riku's fries.

Riku looked at him with a slightly pissed off smirk. "Really? That's really unhealthy, Sora. Maybe you should just face it that she hates you." He commented.

_What was he meaning by that?_ Sora wondered, feeling a little pissed off at the comment himself. "I was just pissed, is all." He said, folding his hands over his chest.

"Sometimes you put her before anyone else, including your best friends." Riku snapped, grabbing his trash, and leaving the table. Sora exhaled and glanced at Tidus, who was still wide eyed, and shrugged. "Wonder what's got his panties in a wad." Tidus laughed, and Sora also left the table, in the opposite direction.

Sora walked out into the courtyard, where he found Kairi easily, standing against the same tree with a bottle of Dr. Pepper clutched in her hand, with her friends surrounding her, including a detatched looking Mae, who wasn't laughing at the girl's jokes, and was looking around the courtyard, as if he wished with all his heart that he were somewhere else.

Sora walked over to her, not caring about the stares from the group of giggling girls, or the nasty words that they would probably whisper to each other. He didn't care that Mae saw him do this, the guy that he was losing Kairi to. He didn't care that he was the last person Kairi wanted to see right then, or to what level she would hate him afterwards.

He took a deep breath, ignoring the look of annoyance on Kairi's face, and said, "I want to know why you won't go out with me. What is it that I did that changed your mind?"

Kairi's jaw dropped just slightly. "Who said I was ever _going _to go out with you?" She spat, looking highly annoyed to the point of just walking off. Not that Sora was going to let her.

"You did. The way you acted. Then after you met pretty boy over here you didn't look at me the same." He said, gesturing to Mae, who's head was tilted to him slightly, with eyes that were studying him with only mild interest.

"It wasn't _Mae_!" Kairi said, shaking her head furiously. Sora could hear the chorus of the other girl's whispers behind him, but he was so angry he couldn't have cared less.

"It was _you_, Sora! You're the one that acted like you were my jealous boyfriend when I talked about him! I never said anything about me wanting to go out with Mae! You took it upon yourself to be an asshole about it!" Kairi yelled, pointing her finger accusingly at him.

Sora's heart seemed to be one hundred pounds in his chest. He took one look at her furiously indifferent face and felt a blush spread across his cheeks. He had just made a scene when it was his own fault in the first place, yet he had been to stupid to see that. Riku was right.

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time." He said softly, so that he was almost sure Kairi was the only one that had heard, and walked away.

Riku was back at the table when he went back into the lunchroom. He took a seat beside him, running his hands shakily through his hair, feeling humiliated and guilty and praying that Riku of all people wouldn't be angry with him anymore.

"I'm sorry, man. I've been a jerk today, and I've been really stupid about the whole Kairi thing." He said, his voice breaking a little as he voiced her name.

Riku looked at him with cold eyes. "Oh. You're sorry. I suppose this is the part where I should forgive you."

Sora looked at his best friend, bewildered at the way he was acting. What did he have to be angry with him about? "What's your problem?" Sora said quickly.

Riku looked as if he were about to pound his face in, then his look softened and he gazed down at the table as if the wood work was particularly interesting. "I don't know. I overreacted. Sorry." His voice sounded different, more sad, and definitely not Riku. Sora wondered what was really on his mind.

Sora patted his shoulder as the bell rang, and the world began turning once again.

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Kairi was so furious at what Sora had done. She felt as if he were trying to ruin her life. He was so jealous about Mae that he couldn't see two feet in front of him.

And in her heart, she knew nothing was going to happen between them anyway. Mae hadn't been the person she thought he was going to be. He wasn't outgoing or talkative or willing to be her friend. In fact, he acted as if she were a nuisance, and he almost seemed to be avoiding her.

Which absolutely infuriated her, of course. If Mae wasn't going to have her, then she would go out and find someone else that would. Which is why when her friend Rinoa had asked her to come to a party with her, she had instantly agreed. She needed something to get her mind off things.

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Little did she know that Mae was incredibly thirsty that night. He hadn't fed in days, since the girl in the park, and he knew that tonight was the night he would have to feed, whether he liked it or not.

Parties where good places to find the perfect kill. There were so many people that no one would notice if two figures wandered off together, and it would probably be hours later that anyone would notice that they never came back.

Mae dressed casually in a tight black t-shirt and dark jeans, pulled his hair back, so that he wouldn't stand out so much, and hardly anyone would remember him after the party, let alone suspect him of anything.

His mother was at the kitchen table at 8:30, just as Mae was about to sneak out of the house. His mother almost always went to bed at 8:00, because the shift she worked at the hospital called her in at 3:00 in the morning.

"Mae, honey, where are you going?" She asked, folding the paper she had been looking at and gazing at him over the rims of her silver eyeglasses.

Mae stumbled over his words as he said, "J-just out with some friend's for a while. I'll be back by midnight, promise."

His mother smiled. "I was just getting off to bed." She said, getting up, her hair falling long and straight like an angel's around her aging face. "I'll pretend I didn't see you go, in case your sister wants to tag along." She winked at him and carried on up the narrow staircase.

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To be truthful, Mae downright hated parties. He hated the loud music, the trashing of the houses they were held in, the skanky girls and the smeared makeup boys thrashing around like obnoxious, horny animals in a zoo.

He only went to them when he was either begged to go, or his sister didn't want to go alone. That was before he had turned into a vampire. Now he went to parties for survival.

He scanned this certain party for someone partially alone, so that no friends would feel the need to tag along as he lured them out. He wanted to try someone male this time, since the last female had made him feel so guilty. He looked for a boy that fit his needs, and his eyes rested on a boy with black hair that was short in the back and long in the front, who had sharp features and skin tight black pants and a wife beater. He was wearing eye makeup and was standing by himself against the wall. There was a girl next to him that was trying to keep his attention by rubbing his arm, but he looked comepletely bored with her.

As Mae began to advance on the boy, someone small and thin slammed into him, knocking the cup of beer out of his hand and into the floor, where it was stepped on and trampled.

"Excuse me!" the girl said, and as he looked down to chew her out for soaking him in his own warm beer, he realized it was the last person on earth he wanted to see. It was Kairi.

"Mae!" She said, grinning slightly. "I didn't expect to see you here!" Mae grinned back, but secretly hope she had lost interest in him and would go away. To his disappointment, she appeared to be by herself and not in any hurry to leave.

"Would you like to go on a walk with me?" She asked, yelling in an attempt to be heard over the music. A group of people made their way into the room, causing Kairi to step closer to Mae, almost touching the front of his chest, where he could feel her breath against him. A vein was pulsing in her neck, and he felt himself stiffen. He could not and would not go anywhere with her. Not if she wanted to live.

"Actually, I was looking for someone. But hey, I'll see you at school!" he yelled back to her, waving and attempting to walk away, back towards the boy who still stood against the wall, looking bored and as if he were about to leave.

Unfortunately, he felt her small hand fasten around his wrist. Her face looked disappointed at his decline, almost upset. "Please?" She yelled.

Mae knew that if he went on a walk with her, the boy would be gone by the time he returned. He already looked bored out of his mind now. He also knew that if he went on a walk with her, she would end up dead in some bushes just like the last girl. He had to get rid of her now, no matter how bad her feelings would be hurt.

"I need to go." He yelled, yanking his arm away. But he froze as he heard her call, "I knew you hated me. I'm sorry I've been bothering you. I'll leave you alone from now on." The statement seemed to break his heart in two. The poor girl had lost another perfectly good boy in an attempt to get his own attention for just a moment, and now he too was leaving her. Despite his mind desperately screaming for him not to turn back, he found himself grabbing her hand and leading her towards the door.

The minute they stepped out into the cool night air, she yanked her hand out of his grasp. Mae sighed and said, "Kairi, I do like you. I was just looking for someone. I'll go on a walk with you, that was selfish of me."

Kairi looked up at him with those large, irresistably blue eyes and said, "I just feel like I've been bothering you ever since you saved me that night. I only wanted to thank you for what you did." Her voice was so quiet, and he felt so terrible for hurting her that as they walked through the busy Saturday crowd in the street, he reached for her hand and fit his hand perfectly in hers.

Kairi grinned despite herself as he said, "You haven't bothered me, Kairi. I've just had a bad week."

They walked past the bench where they had first met, but neither of them mentioned it. They walked into the park not far from it, past the still lake with a small island in the middle where the ducks and geese where nestling their young protectively beneath their wings.

Kairi suddenly dragged Mae about three feet from the edge of the lake and pulled him down next to her, still having a grip on his hand, and forced him to lie on his back. The moon was full up above them, and the air was cool as it blew up their shirts.

Kairi couldn't think of anything to say, but the silence wasn't awkward, simply there. Finally, Mae laughed and said, "We're probably laying in a nice pleasant pile of goose shit."

Kairi giggled and scooted closer to him, and Mae felt the heat from her body making all his senses heighten. I must control myself, he thought. I will not hurt her, not for anything.

The ducks were all chattering amoungst themselves, and the breeze got stronger, and the night got colder. Mae pulled Kairi close to his chest and put her small body inside his oversized jacket. She spread her fingers across his chest, marvelling at the beauty that she was so close to, the beautiful boy that was keeping her warm.

Without thinking, she put her leg in between his, not realizing the torture he was suffering. Not only was fighting the urge to drink from her, but also the urge to just tear her clothes off. After all, he was sixteen.

Kairi was fighting a similar urge. He was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen, and was holding her in such an irresistable way that she was battling her morals not to just plant one on him. Finally, after several minutes of fighting with her concience, she rolled on top of Mae, stared into the crystal blue eyes, and lowered her lips to his.

The kiss immediately became more than she had planned. She had never kissed a boy before, and was definitely surprised at how funny another mouth tasted. She expected something different, maybe like peppermint or chocolate, definitely not a mouth that tasted just like hers.

However, Mae's mouth was warm and wet, and his kiss was slow and soft, and she shuddered as she felt him deepen it, and push her into the ground, so that she was on her back and he on his side, nearly on top of her. His mouth lowered itself and went to her neck, and she heard herself whimpering despite herself.

She wasn't aware of Mae losing his control over his actions, of how vampire instict to kill was stronger than their sexual drive. Vampires didn't need sex at all, just their hunger for blood was the most sensual thing in the world to them.

He put his lips to the skin of her throat, feeling her swallow and pant as her rised and fell. The skin was so warm that Mae could almost feel the warm, thick blood in his mouth like liquid gold. He bared his fangs and pressed the tips to her thoat, feeling her breath quicken, before he threw himself off on her body.

He lay beside her, and neither of them said a word for what seemed like an eternity. He could still hear heavy breathing, although he wasn't sure if it was hers or his, or both. He had almost killed her, almost tore open her throat and felt her blood pour into his mouth, and felt her pulse until it would shudder to a stop, just like the other girl's had. But somehow he had tore himself away, even though he still felt the urge to do it, and he definitely had the strength and speed to. Kairi was still in danger, yet she had no idea.

"Kairi," he breathed, not looking at her. "You have to listen to me."

"Alright." She whimpered, still breathing heavily as well.

"This is going to hurt your feelings, but I don't want you to take it personally. It's me, not you." He said, hoisting himself up onto his knees. He looked down at the girl as she gazed up at him, already a look of hurt on her face.

"I need you to promise me that you'll stay away from me. I know this doesn't make sense, but I need you to. I'm dangerous. If you keep coming to me, you will end up getting hurt." Tears welled up in Kairi's eyes, and she still lay on her back with her small chest heaving up and down.

"I don't want to hurt you. But I will if I ever see you again." He said, and with that, he stood up and walked out of the park, back to the party, and mercilessly murdered the boy who was still standing against the wall, who never suspected a thing.

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You know, I've been watching my hits, and I have 160, but only 16 reviews. Hmm. I'm thinking if everyone who read this would review, whether it be positive or not…Mel would be one happy girl.

-Mel


	5. Three Immortals

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I'd love it if you'd review for this chapter as well!

**Disclaimer:** I own Mae, who isn't even in this chapter, but whatev. The rest of the characters belong to Square Enix and yadda yadda, you know the drill.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER FOUR

Riku was so jealous of Kairi that he could hardly stand it. He knew it was wrong of him to feel anything besides friendship for Sora, but he did, and there was nothing that could change that.

The streets of New Orleans were beckoning him, like a sign to go out and get over Sora. He knew he had to. It wasn't healthy for him to be in love with his best friend, and he knew it. He had to clear his mind of everything.

Two other men were also walking down the street. They were walking arm in arm like two brothers, or perhaps two lovers. Riku noticed them coming towards him right away. They were wearing matching black leather jackets, and they both had beautiful silver hair, much like his own. One's hair was long with bangs that fell in his eyes, and the other had hair almost identical to Riku's. Their eyes were so unnaturally green that Riku could see those eyes glowing from ten feet away. They were beautiful, like a pair of angelic silver twins, glowing in the night.

The two men stopped as Riku approached, and Riku felt himself grow almost nervous as they did so. He wondered if the men would talk to him.

The shorter one grinned at Riku, showing a row of perfectly aligned teeth, with molars that looked as if they had been filed down to points. For affect, Riku thought to himself, smiling shyly back.

"What's a pretty boy like you doing out here in the streets at this time of night all alone?" Said the shorter one. His voice was high pitched and rang in the air like silver bells.

Riku shrugged and felt a blush grace his face. He was only wearing a t-shirt underneath his black sweater, and suddenly wished he had thought to wear something warmer.

"Are you looking for someone?" The other man asked Riku, tilting his head slightly as though he were amused. His voice was slightly deeper and quieter.

Riku shook his head. "I'm just out for a walk." He replied.

The shorter one hadn't glanced away from Riku for a second. Finally he said, "We're looking for someone, ourselves."

The other one laughed and said, "Yes, but perhaps we've already found him."

"I'm Kadaj, and this is Yazoo," said the shorter one, slightly nodding at Riku. "Will you walk with us?"

Riku was so enthralled by their beauty and was so eager to get over Sora, that it took him about two seconds to say yes. Kadaj put Riku's arm in his, and they walked to some apartments, chatting casually along the way.

By the time they were in the men's apartment, and Yazoo went into the dimly lit kitchen to get some drinks, Riku was aware that he was in deeper than he had planned. He was at these men's home, where it was dark, and they were offering him alcohol.

Kadaj nodded for him to sit on the couch, and Riku did so, watching as Kadaj stripped off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack, even though it was extremely dark, and Riku had to squint to see him. The apartment smelled strongly of cologne and wine.

When Yazoo returned with glasses of some type of hard liquor Riku had never tried, the situation was so dreamlike that he downed the glass in seconds, and Yazoo poured him another before taking down several shots himself. Kadaj joined them, and in half an hour, the three of them were all so drunk none could remember the sentence they'd just said.

Before Riku was aware of what was happening, Kadaj was on top of him, weighing him down into the cushions of the couch, smelling strong alcohol and some other smell that was familiar and yet too faint to be sure of what it was. Kadaj kissed him hard and raked his hands through his hair. Riku was so drunk he didn't even know what was happening until he felt a sharp pain in his neck and realized what the smell had been. It was blood.

The pain grew sharper as he felt Kadaj sucking at his neck, and then he felt another mouth bite into the soft flesh right beneath his belly button. He was whining in pain but was so drunk and felt so weak that he could do nothing to stop any of it. He saw Kadaj get up and shove Yazoo away from him, and he said, "We don't want to _kill_ him, you idiot. I like this one. We should keep him."

Seeing their two pale faces in the darkness above him, watching Yazoo nod in agreement, Riku felt himself losing consciousness. "That's it," He suddenly heard Kadaj say from somewhere close to his ear, "Go to sleep, and when you wake up, you'll be new again."

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Riku woke up with a pounding headache and unbearable light shining in his eyes. He was too tired to move or protest, so he simply lie there with his eyes shut, even though the light was still bright enough that he could see it through his eyelids.

The first thing that crossed his mind was his mother. She'd be worried sick if he had been gone all night. He knew she had probably already called the cops or something equally dramatic.

For a minute he couldn't remember where exactly he was. Maybe the thing with the two silver haired men had been a dream. A horribly beautiful dream, but a dream all the same. Perhaps he was in his bed, and the light was the sun shining in through the window.

The only thing wrong with his theory was that his bedroom faced away from the sun, and hardly let in any sunlight.

Wondering what the hell was going on, he propped himself up on his elbows and opened his eyes. He was in the room that he'd passed out the night before. It was the same living room that had been pitch black last night. Kadaj's coat was still hanging on the coat rack, and he saw his own sweater flung across the room on the floor, but he couldn't remember ever taking that off.

The room was furnished nicely, with all of the wood a matching oak, and the couch which he lay and two chairs were furnished with plush fabric. He could see straight into the kitchen, which had a green marble counter with bottles of wine and rum on it. In the other direction he could see a dark hallway, where he was sure the bedrooms were.

He wondered what to do. Here he was, in this apartment that belonged to two beautiful men that had…what had they done? He had been so drunk. Hadn't they attacked him somehow? Riku ran a hand over his neck and found the tear holes there.

They'd _bitten_ him? He vaguely remembered feeling throbbing pain in his neck and lower stomach, and feeling their bodies on top of him, so that he could barely move. Suddenly, he felt panicked. What was he going to do? How was he going to get out? Would they hurt him?

He stood up and went to the door. He could easily unlock it and walk out.

But before he got anywhere, I strong grip was on his shoulder. Riku turned his head wearily and looked up into the stunning green eyes of Kadaj.

"Riku, darling, where you thinking of leaving?" He asked, his voice slightly bitter.

Riku's stomach nodded as he thought of being trapped in the apartment with two…well, whatever they were. They were obviously strong and smooth enough to hurt him, but Riku wasn't willing to stick around long enough to find out.

"You mustn't leave before you understand, I'm afraid." Kadaj said, shaking his head softly. He was only several inches taller than Riku, with a thin build, and he was wearing a tight black wife-beater and some jeans. Still yet, Riku could sense his power and let the older man lead him over to the couch and sit him down.

Kadaj took a deep breath and looked Riku in the eye. "I am a vampire." He said simply, his voice serious and yet he said the statement as if it were a common thing to hear.

Riku shook his head and laughed nervously, running a hand uneasily through his tangled hair. "Listen, it was nice to hang out with you guys and all, but this is getting really weird. I should go." He stood up to leave, but before he realized it, Kadaj was in front of him, blocking his way, with a grip of steel on his arms. In shock, Riku allowed Kadaj to push him back into his seat.

Kadaj looked a little annoyed. "You must listen, Riku, that's my first lesson for you. And never get out of your seat unless your Creator is finished speaking."

Riku smirked, although he was getting more afraid by the second. Was this guy insane? Was this a joke? What on earth was going on? All he knew was that he had to leave, and soon.

"Okay," He said slowly, "The jokes up, buddy. You either tell me what you want or I'll get up and go home."

Kadaj took his hand firmly and said, "I know this is not going to make much sense to you now, but tomorrow night it will make more sense than anything else ever has. I am a vampire, and last night I gave you the immortal kiss."

His eyes were like green fire, and held to Riku's as though he would never let go. Stunned to silence, Riku listened to the man speak of these things he didn't understand, would never believe in a million years.

"I sired you because I wanted you. I knew it from the moment I saw you that you would be my Childe and I would teach you the ways of becoming a vampire as if you were my own son." Kadaj continued, and he ran a thin finger over Riku's knuckles, tenderly, like a lover might.

Riku flinched, and waited for him to go on.

"Tomorrow night you will change. You will grow fangs; your reflection will disappear from the mirrors. Your green eyes will turn like mine, like a cat's. You will see perfectly in darkness, and be immune to all illness and pain. You will be immortal. You will then feel the thirst, and you will satisfy it by drinking, all of which I will teach you, as your Creator."

Riku sat there, staring at Kadaj as if he were mentally unstable, which to Riku he absolutely was. He swallowed his fear, despite he was freaked out beyond all belief, and said, "I'm leaving. You're insane."

He got up, and despite Kadaj's attempts to stop him, he pushed past. Riku was at the door before Kadaj had somehow sped up in front of him, blocking him from the door, and was baring his teeth, the teeth Riku remembered noticing vaguely last night that had been filed down to points.

He bared them in Riku's face. Riku struggled against the other man, but found himself extremely weak. He could hardly even move to get away from this man, let alone try to get away. He yelled an attempt for someone to help him, but before he knew it he was up against the wall and Kadaj was pressing his teeth to the flesh of Riku's neck.

Riku screamed as he felt the teeth bite him just enough to bring blood, and then let go. Kadaj threw him against the opposite wall, where he sat, slumped against it.

"You're really sick, you know." Riku whimpered, massaging his neck where there were two small pink dots.

Kadaj moved closer to Riku and towered over him like an evil master. He smirked and said in a quiet voice. "Do you believe me now?"

Riku laughed bitterly but his laugh shook with his fear. "I believe that you are some messed up weirdo, and if you don't let me go…" Riku trailed off. He had no threat to give. Kadaj smirked.

"Someone will come and find me."

"But you don't believe I'm a vampire, and that you will be too, within a day's time?" Kadaj inquired thoughtfully.

"No." Riku spat.

Kadaj, once again with such speed and agility that Riku hardly even saw him move, took him into the bathroom and shoved him hard into the mirror. Riku fell, his nose beginning to bleed, which enticed Kadaj, though he suppressed his thirst.

Kadaj watched as the now crying, hurt, and afraid Riku slowly hoisted himself up and looked into the mirror. Where he saw himself, standing there looking beaten and pathetic, _alone._

He whipped his head around beside him and saw that Kadaj was still there, with that same smirk as if he knew this would happen all along.

Riku could feel his pulse pounding in his throat as Kadaj said, holding out a hand, "You must believe me now."

Riku had no choice but to believe. There was no other possible explanation. He was stunned so badly that he feared he would pass out, so afraid of the truth that he couldn't even think about it.

"I…I…" he croaked, but he could not find the words.

Kadaj pulled Riku in close to him and held him there, in his arms, against his chest, rocking him like a child. "I know this is hard to understand, but it had to be done. I needed you Riku, and you will thank me once you are immortal."

Riku began to cry, the kind of crying that is uncontrollable and consists of incomprehensible sobs. He didn't understand anything, this couldn't be real, what about his family, his friends, his life?

"I…_this has to be a dream_!" he sobbed into the older man's chest, grasping him because he was the only thing he had to hold onto that felt real. Kadaj kissed his forehead and hummed near his ear. It sort of reminded Riku of his mother, the way she used to rock him to sleep and sing right near his ear when he was younger, when he thought the monster in the closet was the scariest thing imaginable.

"I know it seems like a dream," Kadaj said softly, continuing to rock him and kiss him. As much as Riku wanted to push him away and never turn back, he also wanted to get lost in the silver hair and cool voice and warm body.

"It isn't a dream, Riku. I did this to you because I need you, as I now see you need me." Kadaj said. It sounded like the voice of God, ringing in Riku's ear, and yet he knew his words could only come from a work of Satan.

Yet still he stayed in his arms like a lover might, with his face buried in Kadaj's chest, and somehow he knew that it had to be this way. Kadaj would become everything to him and lead him through this knew life. It had to be done.

And now that Riku thought about it, he really didn't have that much to let go. Family had never been his top priority, and neither was school. He wanted to become a vagabond as soon as he graduated, and he didn't care to marry or have children either, it wasn't really his style. In fact, it wouldn't bother him much to leave it all behind, his whole life, one life in exchange for another, except…

Except Sora. As soon as he imagined the boy that he once held in his arms, that he once felt like nothing could tear them apart…he was going to have to leave him for a life of immortality. Riku couldn't bear to see him again, not now. How could he say goodbye? What was there to say?

And yet he knew that it was for the best that he never see him again. He knew that Sora did not love him the way he wanted him to, and never would. The only thing Riku would get out of their friendship now was constant heartbreak, and he didn't know how much more of that he could take.

The bathroom door opened with a loud crack and Yazoo stepped in and crouched down next to the two boys, his long hair falling over his eyes and Riku like a waterfall of mystical waters. Riku's eyes were puffy and blurry and he couldn't see more than an outline of Yazoo.

"How did he take it?" Yazoo asked, and Riku felt his hand trailing on his back, comforting, and yet somewhat alarming. He wasn't used to being touched so much.

Kadaj sighed but still held Riku. "Better than I thought." He answered.

Yazoo positioned himself on the floor next to him so that his head rested on Kadaj's shoulder and he looked down at Riku with adoration. "He will make a beautiful immortal." He mused.

Kadaj nodded and kissed Riku's head. "Indeed," He said quietly, "He completes us."

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The next day, Kadaj and Yazoo cut Riku's hair, telling him that if he didn't cut it now, it would never grow again once he became immortal, and he was bound to go missing and someone would recognize him.

Yazoo cut it, because when Kadaj took the scissors, he dropped them on Riku's foot, emitting a large, girlish scream on Riku's part, and about thirty minutes of stifled giggling from Kadaj.

They did it in the bathroom, over the sink, because the two vampires were far too lazy to sweep up the hair.

"How short do you want it?" Yazoo asked, taking the pair of kitchen scissors in his hand.

Riku was very skeptical. He was skeptical about the whole ordeal. He believed they were vampires, and he knew that he would soon have to live like them, off the blood of humans, and live like a nomad for eternity. But he was even more skeptical about having a bad haircut until the end of time.

Riku shrugged, and Yazoo practically lunged for his hair and began snipping away at the back. "Not too short!" Riku yelped, refusing to look up into the mirror, where he knew he would see a pair of scissors floating in the air, and him looking like a distressed five-year-old girl.

When Yazoo was done, Riku looked up cautiously in the mirror to see his new image. He was quite satisfied with the haircut. He had a bit of side-bangs, like Yazoo himself, and the hair was just off his shoulders and cut at an angle. He wouldn't mind spending eternity looking that.

He told Yazoo that he was very satisfied, and then Kadaj informed him that he would have to sneak home that night and get all his belongings. Riku was afraid to go back, and didn't want to, for fear he would force himself to stay home. He already missed the scent of his house, a mixture of potpourri and smoke, compared to the aparment which smelled like booze and blood.

That night he went alone, and he snuck through the his window that he knew would be unlocked, because he always left it that way unless Sora got bored and wanted to sneak in for the night. He pushed this thought away and crawled into his dark bedroom.

He looked at the alarm clock on his dresser and saw that it was 10:30, and knew that in only an hour and a half he would become immortal. He looked around his room, trying to think of what to pack.

Riku had always been very proud of his room. It reflected everything he was. He had posters of AC/DC and Iron Maiden, poems he and Sora had written, and tons of pictures of his friends. He tried not to become emotional as he took a backpack and peeled several pictures of Sora off the wall.

The first he took was one of the two of them that Tidus had taken when they were on a bus taking a field trip to a museum. Neither of them were looking at each other or the camera, just staring up ahead with the wind whipping in their hair.

The second was a school picture, and the third was Riku's favorite. It had been one of Sora when he wasn't expecting it. It was at someone's birthday party, and Sora was clutching a plastic cup of beer in his hand. Selphie and Aerith had forced him to wear eyeliner and tight pants, and he was sitting on a brick wall looking absolutely miserable and yet absolutely beautiful at the same time. When Riku had taken it, he didn't expect it to turn out so well until he got the photos developed and secretly looked at the picture whenever he was lonely or wanted Sora there with him.

He crossed the room to his closet and shoveled in as much clothing as he could possibly pack, and said goodbye to his bedroom, a feat that was very hard for him. He had grown up sleeping in that bed, playing with Sora on that floor, with all his things and his life on track. And now he was saying goodbye. He did so quickly, and despite his attempts to leave and not turn back, he crept down the hall to his mother's room.

His mother had raised him alone, and he had never met his father because he had died in the Army before Riku was even born. She never dated again, but she raised Riku well and cared for him even though Riku often mistreated and lied to her. He had never thought of how much he really loved her until he saw her, sleeping in her bed, with her gray-streaked black hair falling around her on the pillow.

He had never noticed how aged she looked, how beaten and tired she looked now as she lay before him. He walked slowly to her bedside and simply looked at her, tried to memorize every line in her face so that he could have the picture of her simple beauty forever.

He thought to lean down and kiss her forehead, but before he knew it, her eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked up at him with deep green eyes just like his. He thought to run, to get out while he could, but he could tell that she was hardly awake and would never remember this in the morning.

"Riku?" She said slowly, her voice scratchy.

Riku worried that she would realize what was going on, that he was leaving her, and freak out like he knew she was bound to.

"Hi, Momma." He whispered.

Her face contorted in confusion. "Where have you been?" Her voice was soft, and he knew she was probably only half-way awake, and probably would fall back asleep.

Swallowing a considerably large lump in his throat, he said to her, "I'm leaving, Momma, and I won't be coming back."

Her eyes fluttered as if she would drift off again, but she managed to whisper, "You're not?"

Riku shook his head and let his hair fall in his eyes. He watched as if it were slow motion as a tear dripped off his face and his the carpet. He tried to take it like a man, but he couldn't bear it. His voice sounded strange when he replied softly, "No."

His mother closed her eyes and nodded her head. "You come to me tonight like an angel."

Riku knew that he had to get out before things got worse. "I'm no angel." He said. And it was true now, it was really true. He was hardly human anymore, even.

"You are to me." He knew she was gone off to the world of sleep as soon as the last word left her tired lips, and he knelt beside her and wept quietly by her hand, stroking it, memorizing with his fingers the way her veins stuck out on her hands, and the ring she always wore on her pinky, the one that was her birthstone, a ruby, the deep red that Riku had always found beautiful.

He pulled himself together and kissed her head. "Goodbye, Mother." He mumbled. He nearly fell out the window as he left, blinded by tears and pain, wondering if he should go to Sora's to say goodbye, but he couldn't find the strength to even think of him. It took every molecule of strength in him to get back to the apartments, where Kadaj and Yazoo were waiting for him, where he knew his destiny was, to be immortal.

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Okay so there it is. Yazoo and Kadaj, in case you didn't know, are two beautiful silverhaired men from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the movie that I'm dying to to see. Since I haven't seen it, the characters may be OOC, but there's no way I would know that, I just knew I wanted them in my story. So there they are!

Please read and review! Next chapter will be up soon.

-Mel


	6. The New Child

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It's good to know that you guys enjoy what you're reading. Don't forget I've got another story going (which I haven't been able to update in a while on account of this story) that you can read if you haven't, Love is a Dangerous Angel.

Also, there's quite a bit of sexual content in this chapter, slash and otherwise. No lemons, so don't freak out. Just general content. If it bothers you then you can skip over those parts.

Disclaimer: I own Mae, and he is MINE. Other than that…well, at least I've got Mae. Teehee.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER FIVE

Riku was a Child. He was one of them. He was a newborn vampire, just seeing the world for the first time. Everything was more beautiful than it had been as a human; everything was silver and gold and dripping with sensuality.

He was lying on the floor in the apartment, with the light from the new moon drenching him in its pale light. He looked unrecognizable; like a different person, and in many ways he was. He never thought he would take such pleasure in losing his humanity, but clearly whatever he had become was not monstrous, nor a work of Satan; it was nearly angelic.

The transformation had been terrible, however. It felt as if his very bones were breaking and mending back and then elongating, and his mouth felt as though it were bleeding him dry. He had screamed so loudly that Kadaj and Yazoo had been forced to keep their hands over his mouth until the pain left him and the fangs came in. He thought then that dying would be better than experiencing pain like that, but then it was gone, and it left him a new Child of the Night, with his senses heightened and his eyes clearer.

Although he could not see his reflection, he would be stunned if he could see himself. His aqua eyes had turned neon green; his pupils shrank to near slits. His face was paler and sharpened as if it were carved of fine marble. His hair had attained a constant shimmer that radiated his now god-like form. Kadaj and Yazoo were stunned speechless when they first witnessed the beautiful immortal they had created.

Now they left him to himself while they went out for dinner. Kadaj had told him that he probably needed time to adjust to his senses before going out anywhere. Riku could have laid in that darkened living room all night, amazed at everything.

A vampire's eye is something no human can imagine, nor ever witness. It is like being born into a new world, where everything is beautiful, every movement quicker and more elegant, every dark corner lightened. For a while he lay staring at the brilliant white of the ceiling paint, wondering how in the world he had ever taken such pure color for granted.

During his revelation, at some point, for the first time in two days, Sora crossed his mind. He wondered if Sora would be worried when he came up missing. He missed not being there at school with him, shoving him playfully in the shoulder when they passed in the halls and flicking french fries at him at lunch.

Such simple, human things he had once done, and now he was immortal and could never be anywhere near that behavior again. He would no doubt fall in love and forget the boy with the chestnut hair and eyes like the ocean. He would love recklessly like the immortal he was and leave his lovers bled and dry. It wasn't choice, it was destiny, something he could never fight, nor run from.

But what about Sora? His young, ignorant beauty would fade. He would become a man, marry a woman, have children…then he would wither and die with old age and disease. A mortal's fate. All of this while Riku would live on, forever young and wild, never fearing those simple dangers mortal's like Sora would face…

It wasn't fair. He was to live a life of immortality, where nothing could touch him or hurt him. And Sora would die. It would take years, but he would die far quicker than Riku ever would.

Riku suddenly realized that he didn't deserve this life. He didn't deserve to live forever, and now that he thought about it, nor did he want to. His life had been full of hardships and confusion, in which he lied, cheated, and backstabbed to get by. And then he was handed this card, the vampire's kiss of immortality, and a card he had never earned.

Suddenly he felt himself swell with rage, and he seriously contemplating heaving himself out the window and hoping to whatever God's watched over him that the early evening traffic would bring him to his death, as the fall would no doubt fail to do.

Before he could go along the lines of any more morbid suicide, Kadaj and Yazoo burst through the door, both holding half-drained bottles of wine and slightly swaggering and they burst in.

Yazoo was singing some kind of drinking song that sounded ancient and completely ridiculous, while Kadaj looked completely sober and tempered, except for his bloodshot eyes.

"Dear Riku!" Kadaj slurred, prodding him with his foot. Yazoo giggled and stumbled into the kitchen, still halfway singing horribly off-tune.

"Still lying on the floor, are we?" He asked, and he flopped down beside him as well. He turned his head restlessly from side to side. He flicked Riku in the head.

"How boring." He snorted and hoisted himself back up, dragging the dazed Riku up with him. Kadaj shoved him with the palm of his hand and declared, "We're going out!"

Riku looked at him with lazy eyes and asked in a sad voice, "What for? You two are already drunk enough to have your fun here."

Yazoo laughed shrilly and hiccuped, falling lazily back into the room. "We've barely started!" He burped. "Plus, I'm horribly thirsty. How's about some nice Latin blood tonight, eh?"

Kadaj scrunched up his nose. "You'll have your taste, I'll have mine. I'm thinking some little rich girl tonight."

Riku rolled his eyes. "I'll stay home then." He slung himself down on the couch and stared at a candle on the table, its flames tiredly licking the air.

Kadaj cocked a pale eyebrow. "Staying in? I think not, not when you can share the fun!"

And that was how Riku, only having been immortal for three hours, ended up at a girl named Heidi Ingram's party with two of the most beautiful men anyone at the party had ever seen.

Kadaj and Yazoo had made up the alias of Ryu for Riku so that in case he was already missing, no one would notice that it was him. He obviously looked much different, and the second he stepped into the party with the two other Children, hardly anyone could look at anything else.

Yazoo spotted a Hispanic boy gyrating against another white boy very easily and knew he was just what he had the taste for. Kadaj kept his arm on Riku as if he belonged to him and mumbled instructions into his ear as they roamed the party, while many people watched them with open mouths spurting whispers.

"Take your kill outside. Make sure wherever you go that there is no one else around. It's crucial. If someone spots you, you can consider yourself a dead man." He instructed as they walked through, Kadaj expertly winking and smiling as he passed the young teenagers.

"Kiss them and tease them before you do it. You must be sure that they don't expect it. If you bite when you're doing this, they'll never expect what your intentions are. They'll think it's all fun and games until they can't breathe."

Riku nodded and Kadaj spotted a young girl standing in a corner. She was tall, with long blonde hair she wore in a ponytail at the base of her neck. She had her arm around her boyfriend, but kept scanning the party as if she desperately wished she were with someone else. That was where Kadaj came in. He winked at Riku and sauntered off, shaking is hips in his tight black pants, flicking his hair back and forth so that no one could take their eyes off him.

Riku wandered the party, not really searching for anyone or anything, nor craving the blood which Kadaj and Yazoo lived for. People gave him beer and cigarettes, all of which he held in his hand until he remembered he had them and threw them away.

That's when he saw him.

It was Mae, standing against the opposite wall, his eyes of blue ice searching the room for someone, until they rested on Riku's. Riku had never realized how unnaturally beautiful Mae was, and especially tonight. His chin-lengthed hair was never so much like the rain, framing the face of porcelain and the eyes that surely could burn through skin.

They held each other's gaze until Mae made the first move. He stepped away from the wall and towards Riku, his movements slow and elegant like a cat circling its prey. Only Mae would never realize until it was too late that he was the prey, and that the newborn vampire that Riku was would kill him mercilessly and drain the beauty from his body.

"Riku?" Mae asked, flicking his hair away from his eyes and tilting his head as if to make sure it was him.

Riku gave a small nod. "Long story." He said, letting his hair fall in his eyes a little so perhaps Mae would not notice how cat-like and inhuman they were.

The music in the room swelled and blared twice as loud as it had before, and suddenly everyone was dancing and thrusting around them. Mae blushed as he was pushed into Riku, and Riku caught the irresistible smell of his musky cologne, and suddenly his senses heightened and he was so turned on he could hardly bear it.

"Everyone's been worried about you at school!" Mae yelled, and Riku felt his hot breath caress his ear. Suddenly he could almost taste Mae's blood in his mouth like sweet, tangy honey. His teeth throbbed in his mouth.

Riku smiled up at Mae and shrugged. "I'll come back, I just needed to get away for a while, you know?"

A girl slammed into Riku's back and sent him pushed up against Mae, each part of him touching the other boy, his mouth throbbing so hard he could feel his pulse growing rapidly stronger. Mae laughed but didn't push away.

"Let's go outside where I can actually hear you!" Mae screamed, and when Riku nodded, Mae locked his fingers into Riku's and pulled him through the crowd and out the front door, back into the reckless streets of New Orleans.

The two boys, alive with the fresh night air, kept their fingers interlocked as they walked in silence. The fingers were doing all the talking for them; they grazed each other and felt the tiny hairs on the fingers, stroked each other's hands and felt each other's nails. Hardly realizing what they were doing, they walked past most of the nightclubs and businesses and tourist traps and entered the slums of the city.

The slums were never a good place for anything pure and beautiful to go, although Mae and Riku were hardly pure. No one would realize their inhuman strength until they tried to rape or mug them. Once Riku realized where they were, he tugged on Mae's hand and whispered, "Maybe we should turn back."

Black men in dark, baggy clothes passed them and snickered at how frail they appeared, holding each other's hands like those trendy bisexual boys that thrived in the cities. One man came close enough to breathe on Mae's neck and say, "What are two boys like you doing in a place like this? Looking for somewhere to stay the night?"

Mae tightened his grip on Riku and quickly and quietly they left, leaving the man smiling at them with golden teeth.

They found themselves laughing hysterically when they came to the small river that flowed through the less populated part of the city. "We're such dumbasses!" Mae cackled, and he fell to his knees in the black grass.

Riku chuckled and sank down beside him, fingering the inside of his black sweatshirt in nervousness, even though he knew he already had Mae where he wanted him.

They sat across from each other for a while, Riku with his back to the water and Mae facing him, their eyes shyly glancing at each other from time to time, then quickly looking away.

Finally Mae shifted closer and leaned forward, obviously waiting for Riku to cover the rest of the distance between their eager mouths. Riku had never kissed another boy. He'd made out with plenty of girls, immaturely licking and nibbling at their mouths, but he had never even come close to kissing a boy. And now, as he looked into Mae's pale eyes, watching his ripe lips, slightly wetted with saliva, only inches from him, it seemed the most appealing thing on earth. The blood now seemed only a bonus.

Riku leaned in slowly, afraid Mae might move away, or that he might do something wrong. It seemed to take forever for their lips to meet, but when they did it was simply electric.

Their mouths melted together slowly and sensually, each one exploring the other's carefully, as if they'd never before experienced such a kiss, and truly, neither had.

Riku moved his hand into Mae's hair, feeling it fall through his fingers like liquid silk. Mae pressed against his mouth harder and pulled him down on top of him into the grass.

Riku fit himself perfectly on top of the other boy, letting Mae move under him, Mae's lips making a trail of tiny kisses down to Riku's neck. Riku gasped when he felt Mae's tongue against the soft skin of his throat, then coming back up to his mouth. Riku knew that he had to do it soon, before he forgot what he was doing and made love to the other boy right then and there.

Riku moved his mouth down to the other boy's throat, to the soft spot to the right of the Adam's apple where he could feel the pulse beneath his lips. He grinned against his throat as he heard Mae's breath quicken, and he opened his mouth slowly, letting the cool fangs rest against the flesh as Mae began to moan, and finally, he sank the teeth in.

Riku was shoved off and sent flying three feet away before he had even realized what had happened. He had thought he was about to drink the poor boy dry, and before he knew it, his face was pressed against the hard ground and his leg was bent at an impossible angle. Confused, he forced himself back up and to his feet, grimacing as his leg popped.

Mae was standing near the riverbank, eyes wide and hands outstretched toward Riku as if they would shield him. "You _fucker_!" Mae spat, his arms visibly shaking.

Riku's jaw dropped when he saw the indention in the grass where they had been laying, compared to the spot he stood now. Mae must've thrown him a clear three feet! No human was capable of that strength…

"What the fuck _are_ you?" Riku snarled, backing farther away from whatever the hell was standing in front of him, tripping slightly over a pesky rock.

Mae's eyes were like blue fire as he lowered his hands, his once beautiful mouth now in a tight, angry line. "_Don't you recognize one of your own fucking kind when you see one_?" His voice was nearly a whisper, like the words he spat were a secret.

Suddenly Riku's jaw dropped as the words registered. Another Child. Right under his nose the entire time. He had tried to sire someone who had been immortal all along. And as shocking as it was, it was also hysterically funny.

Riku bent over in loud, uncontrollable laughter, so pissed at his stupidity in the situation that it was hilarious. He had wondered why Mae was so stunningly beautiful, and knew just how to attract other boys…he wasn't even mortal.

Mae punched Riku square in the face during his laughing fit, sending Riku slamming into the tree behind him, still cackling despite himself.

"_Shut up_!" Mae snapped, his voice still hushed. When Riku ignored him, he sent his fist smashing into his face again, a punch that would have shattered the cheekbones of a normal human, but the most it did to Riku was shake him out of his state of hysteria.

"Do you _want_ to attract attention, you sorry excuse for an immortal!" Mae snarled, his fist still clenched and near Riku's face.

Riku cleared his throat and decided to get a hold of himself. "Sorry." He mumbled, pushing away from Mae and towards the river.

There was a moment of silence before Mae stood beside him and said quietly, "Who did it to you? Who made you immortal? I've been looking for another since I turned."

Riku thought of whether he should tell Mae about Kadaj and Yazoo, but then wondered if perhaps the two silver haired men would let Mae join their group as well.

"There are two immortals named Kadaj and Yazoo, they sired me so that I could be their Childe." He replied.

"Do they live here? Where are they?" Mae asked, his voice sounding slightly more interested now than before.

Riku thought to take Mae back to the apartment and figured it was an okay idea. Making sure Mae wouldn't push him away, he took hold of his hand and led him back towards the city.

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The apartment was dark and smelled strongly of booze when they arrived. Riku instructed for Mae to take off his jacket and shoes at the door, and then gestured for him to come farther into the apartment.

He was going to take him to the couch so he could sit down and get him some drinks, before he noticed the skimpy feminine underwear slung over the side of the couch and the movement coming from it that sounded distinctly like intercourse.

Mae's mouth formed the shape of an "O" as Riku made a disgusted face and gestured for him to come into the kitchen.

Yazoo was in the kitchen, leaning swankily against the bar, a skinny glass of dark liquid hanging from his limp fingers.

"Who have we here?" He asked coolly, winking at Mae.

Riku smiled and said to Yazoo, "This is Mae. He's a vampire, Yazoo."

Yazoo's jaw dropped, and despite his drunkenness, he somehow seemed to understand the importance of this statement. "I haven't seen another in years…" He breathed, moving over to Mae, touching his hair.

Mae smiled uncomfortably, and said, "I've never met another immortal."

Yazoo grinned at him, displaying his ivory fangs. "Well, I'm Yazoo, nice to meet you." He had a slight drawl as he breathed the word "nice" but other than that made a fine impression on Mae.

"And that," Yazoo laughed, pointing a thin finger with a filed nail at the dark living room, "Is Kadaj." Riku chuckled despite himself. Yazoo's grin was so huge it looked like it hurt. "I'm afraid he couldn't seem to kill the poor girl, had to get in her pants first…"

The two silver haired Children laughed uncontrollably, Yazoo's laughs mixed with drunken hiccups, and even Mae found himself giggling before they straightened themselves out.

Suddenly, a completely nude Kadaj with the exception of a throw blanket wrapped around his waist sauntered into the room, grinning a red smile. "Who's your friend, Riku?" he asked, his voice lower than usual, more thick with the girl's blood.

"This is Mae. He's one of us." Yazoo said excitedly, nearly dropping his glass of wine.

Kadaj studied Mae with suddenly heightened interest. "You can't be serious. Aside from us, you'd be the only living vampire I've seen in fifty years."

The immenseness of his age suddenly frightened Mae, but he mumbled quickly, "It's true, am an immortal."

Kadaj put and hand to his forehead and leaned against the counter. "Good God." He whispered. "This is too good to be true."

From somewhere from inside the living room, came a clearly audible and yet faint feminine scream.

"She's still alive, Kadaj." Riku said, peering into the living room.

Mae felt his throat grow tense as he smelt the living blood, and the disgust that came with Kadaj's sexual killing. A smile spread across the half-naked Child's face and he went back into the living room. Curious, the other three slowly followed, Riku having to pull Mae along so that he would follow.

The girl was completely nude, cowering like a wounded animal on the couch, sweat and tears and blood covering her youthful, terrified face. Blood dripped in a steady flow from a wound just below the soft flesh of her navel. Out of respect, Mae tried not to look at her feminine form, more ashamed of that than his attraction to her blood.

"Please!" She whimpered, her angelic voice hoarse and shaky, "Please, don't hurt me!"

Kadaj crept closer to her, smiling at her as though he had done nothing wrong. "Darling!" He said in a mock surprised tone, "Why, you're bleeding!"

Girls' blood soaked blonde hair swung back and forth wildly as she convulsed in her sobs. She would live through the bite, Mae knew it, and if Kadaj would let her go, she could still live.

"Don't." she moaned as he came closer. "Please, don't!"

Kadaj smirked. "Don't what, darling? Why are you so frightened?"

Mae stepped forward, unable to watch the girl be tortured if he was just going to kill her anyway. He pitied the girl, wanted her to live and be free again like she once was.

"Leave her alone, Kadaj." He whispered. "Just please let her go."

The girl looked to Mae desperately, knowing immediately that he was her only chance for survival. She scrambled off the couch to him, throwing her shaking, nude body onto him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"What is he?" She cried. "What has he done to me?"

Kadaj smiled at Mae and winked, making Mae feel sicker now than ever, as he wrapped his arms protectively around the girl, ignoring the way his mouth was pulsing, hungering from her blood. She had to live, this wasn't right.

"Do it, Mae." Kadaj said slowly. "Prove that you can be one of us, and we'll let you stay."

Immediately Mae knew it wasn't worth it. If they lived like this, taking innocent human lives, using them and torturing them for the fun of it, he would never live like that, not if they were the last of his kind on this Earth.

"I will not." Mae declared, his voice coming out as strong and clear as he had planned, tightening his grip on the girl's thin body, keeping his eyes strong and level with Kadaj's.

Kadaj laughed softly and shook his head. "Ah. I see. I was like you once. Still holding on to human emotion like some melodramatic idiot. You might as well kill her, she's as good as dead. Even if you let her live, she's carrying my baby, I made sure to that. An immortal child always kills the mother in childbirth, and even if you get rid of it she will become immortal, and you wouldn't want to curse her with your disease, would you?"

Mae didn't know what to do, so he took the girl to the coat-rack and put his trenchcoat around her shoulders, keeping her close to him all the while so that Kadaj would never have the chance to touch her.

Before he left, he said quietly, "Even if she must die, I will not let you be the one to do it. I have searched everywhere for more immortals, and now I feel so fucking stupid for wishing it." He took one last glimpse at Riku, who looked a mixture of horrified and stunned, and left the apartment, the shaking, bloody girl clinging to him for dear life, although she knew he could just as easily save her as kill her.

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I don't like the way this chapter ended, but I had to end it sometime. Anyway, hopefully the next chapter will end better. Please read and review! It would be greatly appreciated.

-Mel


	7. For Her Sake

A/N: The rating had been changed to M for language, sexuality, gore, and violence. That's pretty much everything bad that can get something an M rating. Ha! Well Ann knows very well, as the rest of you soon will, that Mae has a little problem with saying the F word like he invented it. Gotta love him, though.

Anyway, please read and review after you read, it would be greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer: I own Mae and Lydia, the rest belong to their respected owners. Dammit.**

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER SIX

The only sound the girl made as Mae quickly walked her to his house was quick whimpering every once in a while, but she obviously knew that the danger was not over, so she chose to stay quiet. Mae kept his arm steady around her waist as they walked, so that if one of the vampires were to try to sneak up on him, he would already have a good hold of her.

As they walked up the steps to his darkened house, Mae fumbling to get out his keys, he said, "What is your name?"

The girl shivered, completely naked under the trenchcoat, and said softly, "Lydia."

Mae nodded, biting his lip as he struggled to get the key in the lock. Finally the front door swung open, and he led her through the pitch black house into the bathroom.

"Sit on the counter." He ordered softly, and she hopped up, wincing as she did so at the aching pain in her thighs and stomach. Mae rummaged around beside her in what looked like a medicine cabinet and came out with a first aid kit and some washcloths.

"What's your name?" she inquired softly as he wet down the washcloth in the sink beside her.

"Mae." He said, standing in front of her with the washcloth in his hand.

She blushed at the thought of what he was going to have to do. "I can do it myself…" she trailed off, reaching out for the washcloth.

Mae yanked it out of her reach and said, "I guarantee you don't know those wounds like I do. If it will make you more comfortable, I can get you something to wear…"

She shook her head, a chunk of clean hair falling across her face. "It's alright, you've already seen me anyway." The girl named Lydia peeled off the trenchcoat, her ribs poking from beneath her breasts as she moved. Mae tried desperately not to look at any part of her that would be called inappropriate.

Mae poured some rubbing alcohol on the washcloth and came in closer to her, gently wiping her stomach of the ruby blood. The wound was fairly deep, but he had seen deeper. Hell, he had _caused_ deeper wounds than that.

Her stomach sank in as she inhaled at the stinging alcohol, and he realized just how painfully thin the girl was. He tried it softer, until she stopped flinching.

It became harder for him not to think about the damp place between her legs as he wiped away the blood lower and lower. His senses were very aware of the rich taste of blood, as was his masculinity of her delicate form.

Finally he abandoned the thought of cleaning up the blood near that place and began wiping it from her chest, in between her breasts, on her neck, and finally, her face. She weakly smiled at him, and he forced one back. After the majority of the blood was cleaned off, he stepped back to admire his work.

He gestured toward the shower behind him. "You can take a shower and wash the rest out of your hair. I'll go get you some of my sister's clothes you can wear for now." He turned to leave, but found her hand on his arm before he could.

"Mae," She said, now off the counter, her long, bloody hair hanging in front of her, covering her up, "If you are one of them, why did you save me?"

He studied her deep, mossy green eyes and wondered what she was thinking. When he noticed she was staring back, he quickly glanced away. "There's a difference between them and me. They kill for fun, I kill for survival. I refuse to kill anyone unless I have to, and what they were doing, _torturing_ you…I couldn't watch that. I was in your position once."

She nodded and he shut the door behind him. He left a pile of clean clothes for her at the door; a sports bra, some clean underwear, jeans, and a shirt. Then he washed the strong and enticing smell of her blood off his hands and went to collapse on the couch.

When Lydia came back into the room, Mae was nearly asleep, slumped over with a pillow in his lap. She flipped on a lamp as she entered, jolting him back awake. She smiled at him and took a seat on the chair opposite him.

"I don't guess vampires like the light?" She teased, gesturing to turn the lamp back off.

Mae shook his head. "No, we quite enjoy it, really." There was a comfortable silence before Lydia said, in a much smaller voice than before, "So, what Kadaj said, is it all true?"

Mae hadn't thought about that until then. Kadaj had said that she was carrying his child, he had made sure to that. And he'd said that an immortal child always kills the mother in childbirth. And even if she were to abort it, she would then be cursed with immortality herself.

He shrugged and gave her a look that read, "It's bad either way." Lydia nodded but remained silent. "Maybe the fucker didn't really get you pregnant, though. There's no way he would know, right?"

Through the dim light of the living room, Mae could see glistening trails of tears on Lydia's cheeks. "This is so fucking screwed up." She said, her words catching in her throat. "I'm such an idiot for thinking he was actually a nice guy."

Mae tried to find words of comfort, but had none to give. He watched as the small girl he hardly knew wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked herself back and forth as she cried. "I had a bad night. My boyfriend dumped me, just like the rest of them, 'cause I wouldn't have sex with him."

Mae said nothing, but he had a feeling she didn't want him to. "Kadaj came up to me and made me feel so much better, and I actually felt like I could _trust_ him with taking my virginity. Some dumb bitch I am."

Mae cleared his throat and quickly made his decision about the girl. She was doomed no matter what she did, or he did for that matter, so he decided to give her the decision. "I could kill you right now," he said softly, over her weak sobbing. "I haven't fed in days, and you sound really good to me right about now. But I won't do it."

He could see the deep green of Lydia's eyes glittering from across the room, and it took all his strength not to walk over and wipe them of their tears. It had been a long while since he had been held, really held with nothing sexual about it, and he knew that she needed it too, but kept still.

"If you are pregnant, and you keep the baby, then you will die." He continued. "If you abort the baby, then you will be cursed with immortality, just like me. I'm going to let you make the decision. You can leave here in the morning, go off and have your baby, and die in childbirth. You can let me kill you now, and it will all be over. Or you can leave in the morning and wake up two days from now as an immortal."

Lydia shook her head. "I should let the baby live, I should give it a chance…"

Mae rolled his eyes at her. "Don't be so noble. All that will do is let another kid be fucked up like I am. Trust me, no kid deserves this."

Lydia shrugged. "Well, what if I'm not pregnant?"

"You'll still be immortal. There's no way out of that, unless you die first."

There was silence, Lydia staring at Mae as if he were going to jump up and scream, "Just kidding!" But when he didn't, she simply stared. "I don't know what to do." She said finally. "I…I don't want to die."

She wiped her eyes frantically, but she only cried more. "Who will help me? I don't know what to do if I turn immortal! I don't know how to have an abortion! I have no one!"

So that's it, Mae thought. She wants to abort the baby and become immortal. What a common human decision to make. Sure, if you get to live forever, that'll be fun! Yes, if you found killing a mortal every other night for their blood and living in shadows and lies fun.

And could he care for her? Would he help her? Wasn't it enough that he had to care for himself? But as he looked at her, so helpless across the room, wrapped up in herself with her clothes too big and that golden hair splayed all around, he knew somehow that if he didn't help her, no one would.

He sighed, knowing he was entirely too soft. "Alright, I'll help you start out. I'll show you the ropes of being an immortal. But if you make this decision, don't be pissed at me when you're a vampire and you hate it."

Lydia nodded slowly, looking unsure of herself. "Look, Mae. All I know is that I don't want to die. And if that's my only choice, I'm taking it."

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Riku was scared to death to return to school the next Monday. How was he going to explain to his friends where he'd been? Sora would be livid. No matter what Riku had to say to him, it would never be good enough for Sora. And he supposed he deserved it.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged to first period, a period he unfortunately shared with Sora. The wind was cold and bitter as the last of October was melting into November. First period seemed a mile away, and the students were filing past him, hurrying to class.

He saw Mae with his hand on a blond girl's back that he'd seen around before. Mae made eye contact, his icy eyes holding his in a death glare, before he looked away and headed into the main building.

Riku looked toward the main building and decided not to mess with it. He'd go to McDonalds and get some breakfast and chill for a while. He'd see Sora at lunch…

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"So you feel like coming over and hanging out tonight?" Tidus asked, looking over to Sora as he ate his soup.

Sora wasn't eating, unlike usual. He had told Tidus that he had homework, but he hadn't so much as written one word on the paper. He shrugged one shoulder and replied dryly, "Nah, I should probably go home and get some sleep."

Tidus sighed, giving up on his friend. He'd been so depressed since Riku had turned up missing, so confused and hurt and afraid for him. Tidus knew that if Riku was kidnapped or killed, it would eat Sora alive until he knew exactly what had happened and what was being done about it. If Riku had run away…it would hurt him even worse.

"How about tomorrow then? We haven't broke out the PS2 in a while, how about we play some Need For Speed?"

Sora looked away and rolled his eyes, which were red and bloodshot from lack of sleep. "I really don't think so. Maybe some other time." He snapped, his voice weak and quiet.

Tidus sighed, giving up on his friend and returning his attention to the latecomers entering the cafeteria. After several moments of studying the very intricate floral pattern of a girl's shirt, he spotted a familiar boy coming towards the table, his silver hair unevenly cut and hanging in his eyes. He looked up and locked eyes with Tidus, and that was when he realized who he was looking at.

"Oh my God." He breathed, patting Sora's hand. Sora looked up, confused, as Tidus' jaw hung open in shock. "It's Riku!"

Riku took his normal seat by Sora, undecided on whether to play it cool or just rush into excuses of why he had been missing for days. Sora's eyes were so wide they looked like they would simply pop out of his head.

"R-riku?" Sora stuttered. Riku noticed how hollow his cheeks looked, and the dark circles under his eyes. He looked tired, sloppy, like he didn't seem to care what he looked like anymore. It definitely wasn't the Sora he was used to.

"Yeah." Riku flashed a comfortable smile. "Man, have I got a story to tell you guys."

Sora's face contorted so that he looked like he would either spontaneously combust or burst into tears. "This better be fucking good, Riku! I've been worried sick about you for three days!" His voice rang throughout the crowded cafeteria, catching weird glances from many pupils.

Riku looked at him earnestly, patting his hand, which Sora snatched away. "Hey, dude, easy, I haven't even explained myself yet."

Sora looked away, but Riku knew he was still listening, so he started in on his bullshit story of how he and his mom had had a falling out and he hitchhiked to the next state, didn't have money to call anyone, then felt bad and came back. It was totally out of character for him, and he hoped to God that they bought it.

After he was finished, Tidus was looking at him excitedly and Sora's jaw was hanging open like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"So," Sora said slowly, "You didn't have enough money to call your best friend who was on the verge of killing himself without you there, but you certainly had enough to get a haircut!"

Riku had never seen Sora so furious, or his normally playful voice sound so bitter. "I can explain!" He spat, but Sora was up and stomping out of the cafeteria before Riku could say a word in his defense.

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Kairi rang the doorbell to Mae's house, the cold, bitter air whipping against her frail body, feeling like it would knock her over.

She had to ask around to get his phone number, and when he hadn't answered, she looked it up in the phone book and got his address, finding out that his house was within walking distance of hers.

Kairi was desperate. The way she felt with Mae was like nothing else. He made her feel like she knew no one else could. The night in the park had shone light on her. She felt protected with him, she felt complete. She didn't understand why he didn't want to be around her, she didn't understand how or why he would hurt her, and she respected his wishes and hadn't spoken to him in days. But something in her feared that if she didn't be with him, that she would never feel love like that again.

She had gotten slightly dressed up, wearing a tight purple dress that hit her thighs and black leggings underneath. She felt the need to impress him somehow.

When Mae opened the door, the look on his face was a mixture of shock and horror. She had expected this, and knew that she would be the last person he wanted to see on her doorstep. She forced a smile.

"Hi." She said, and he smiled back, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Hey." He replied his voice husky as usual, something that drove her crazy.

She bit her lip. "Do you um, think we could talk for a minute?"

He put his forehead against the door and sighed. "Uh, yeah, alright, just for a minute." He stepped back from the door and motioned for her to follow him.

His house was done in Victorian style, all gold and red and deep royal blue. It was mostly dark, and Kairi wondered how he could see where he was going. It smelled faintly of something dully sour that she'd smelled before, but couldn't quite identify.

He flipped on a lightswitch in the living room with bathed light on an elegant set of a couch and chairs. He took a seat on one of the chairs, and she sat diagonally from him on the couch. She heard someone cough from a room farther down the hallway; it sounded feminine.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" Mae asked, looking at her expectantly. His hair seemed a little dirtier and less kept up than usual, and she wondered why he hadn't come to school.

She tried to voice the reason that she had come, but found herself terrified to voice the words. Her visit seemed so stupid now. He had said it before, she needed to stay away from him, and she was being the stubborn one by trying to make him love her.

She sighed. "You know, now that I'm here I realize that it's not important." She stood up, tears already brimming in her eyes, threatening to ruin the pink eye make-up she had chosen especially for this occasion. She began to leave the room, but suddenly his hand was wrapped around her wrist, just like it had at the party that had changed everything.

He looked at her with those icy eyes that seemed somewhat gentle, welcoming, curious. He was so beautiful that being around him almost put her in a trance, and she found that despite herself she could not turn away from him. "Whatever you have to say to me, say it." He said softly, letting her go.

She felt the first salty tear roll down her cheek, but could not break from his gaze. "I want to understand," she whimpered. "I want to understand why you can't love me."

Mae's eyes fell away. He couldn't make her understand, the poor mortal. She would never understand, and if he told her, he would be forced to kill her. She was beautiful, and so young, and yes, he did like her. If he were mortal again, he would perhaps even let himself love her. But things could never be, it was the vampire's way. He could not love her as the monster he was or it would kill her.

"You can't understand, Kairi," He said, not looking at her. He couldn't, he could hear her crying and knew that if he saw her that he wouldn't be able to turn her down, not again.

"Just take it as it is and leave me alone." The words came out colder and sharper than he had intended, and they seemed to hang in the air around them, ringing in the poor girl's ears.

"I just…want to know why!" she cried, clenching her fists at her sides. It drove her crazy that she couldn't understand, that he wouldn't look at her! "Just tell me what it is and I'll leave! I'll never speak to you again, I swear! It's that simple! You can forget all about me, just tell me why!"

Mae's temper flared, but he knew he couldn't give in so easily. "I can't tell you! Get out of my house and leave me alone!" He spat.

His words stung her, but she was now more angry and frustrated than she was hurt. "You're just like every other guy, a _fucking jerk_! I thought you were different, but now I see that I was very, very wrong."

The were like razors grazing his arm. He knew who he was, he knew he didn't like bad reputations with women or being called a jerk, because he wasn't. But he had to let her go. He had to.

She stopped before she left the room, kept her back to him. He waited for her exiting line, expecting something brutal, but he knew he could take it. At first she said something and then stopped, but finally spat it out, her voice small and icy.

"There's something about you, Mae. I know about the girl that died the night I met you. Seems a little suspicious that she died only minutes before you came to sit on that bench, doesn't it? You may think that after I leave this house, I won't think of you again, but I'm the only one that knows, Mae. Don't think I'm not going to use that to my advantage."

She walked to the front door and opened it, preparing to leave, with the knowledge that he now knew she had. He couldn't let her leave knowing that. That simple bit of imformation had changed everything. He sped up and caught her by the arm before she could go.

"I didn't kill that girl, Kairi. " He lied. "You must know I'm not capable of that. You don't believe it, you know it. I didn't kill her."

She turned to him, her blue eyes blazing. "Then why didn't you let me walk out of this house?"

He sighed, letting her go. "Because you're right. I should tell you why I can't see you. It's because…I have a girlfriend."

Kairi's face drastically changed, softened, went back to being hurt. She glanced away. "Oh." She said softly, wringing her hands. Her cheeks were stained with pink from where her makeup had run. And no matter how much he wanted to, he still couldn't let her go. She would be angry at him for cheating on his girlfriend, she could still use the information about the girl in the park.

"B-but…I'm going to break up with her." He said, feeling immediately stupid after the words left his lips. "I…I want to be with you instead, if you can forgive me."

Warmth suddenly engulfed Kairi. He would have her! She knew they were meant to be, she could feel it in every ounce of her. She knew that if he had let her go she would have never found a boy to fit her like he did.

"…Of course I forgive you. The whole reason I came was to make you come back to me." She said softly. He pulled her to him, feeling the perfect way they fit against each other, like two pieces to a puzzle. I can't hurt her, he promised himself. I won't.

Kairi stood on her toes and reached his mouth, kissing it softly, like she would her mother. When she let go, she looked up at him and found that he was smiling.

"My mom will be home soon, you should go." He said, even though she wasn't. Kairi nodded and smiled at him, backing off the porch. "See you tomorrow!" She waved, and he watched her walk away until she was no longer in sight.

When he came back into the house, he found Lydia, who he had been hiding in his room, leaning against the counter, eating a sandwhich and smirking at him. She had turned immortal the night before, and was preparing for her first kill that night.

"Are you dating a mortal girl, Mae?" She asked, and Mae shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess." He replied, hoping she wouldn't make much of it. He was trying no to do so himself. He sat in a chair at the counter beside her.

"Don't you think that's sort of dangerous?" she asked.

Mae put his head in his hands. "I guess. I can control myself."

Lydia took her plate to the sink, letting the water rinse of the bread crumbs. "Oh, you can? I just hope for that girl's sake that you're right."

Me too, Mae thought.

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Please read and review! Thanks for reading!

-Mel


	8. We Are Gods

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**Disclaimer:** I own Mae, Lydia, and Emanuel, the rest belong to their respected owners.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER SEVEN

Riku was afraid that Sora would shut his front door in his face. Riku had knocked on the door willing to further explain and apologize, hoping that somehow it could be reconciled and things would be (almost) back to normal. But the look on Sora's face was colder than even the one he had given him at the lunch table that afternoon.

"What do you want?" he said, his voice like a sharp knife cutting through Riku's soft skin. He flinched, and put his hand on the door so that if Sora shut it, he would also break Riku's fingers.

"Sora, just please listen to me." He pleaded.

The boy in front of him kept his face straight and serious. "I'm listening." He said calmly.

"Can I come in?" Riku asked. Sora shrugged and swung open the door, leading Sora down the hallway he knew by heart, even though today it was dark. He knew the exact spot where there was a burn in the carpet, the exact place where you had to watch out for the candlestick hung on the wall.

Sora's room was just like Riku remembered, just the way it had been the week before when he had come over and played video games with him. There was the disaster of a bed, with heaps of mismatched pillows and blankets, the walls covered in ancient action hero posters, the black dresser covered in video game boxes, dirty clothes, and wrappers. Sora sat on his bed and Riku found his usual place on the ragged blue chair, which was worn in from him lounging on it so much, only this time it was different.

Riku swallowed hard, and began to explain. "I lied to you, Sora, and I'm sorry, but I was afraid to tell you."

Sora nodded but didn't look at him. "There's…something…that's happened to me, and I don't know if I can tell you yet, but I just don't want to lie to you anymore. You're my best friend, you deserve to know."

"What is it?" Sora asked softly.

Riku shook his head, not knowing what to tell him. "I'm…I'm sick, Sora. Really, really sick in a way that you won't understand. I've changed and I didn't even want it to happen."

Sora's face turned from hesitant to extremely concerned. "Will you get better?"

Riku shook his head, trying desperately not to look at his best friend. He refused to cry in front of Sora, because he had always been the stronger one. And now Sora had something on him, Sora didn't have to kill to survive, Sora didn't have to live his true life in secret.

Sora crossed the room and forced Riku out of the chair, wrapping his arms around him in a brotherly hug. "You know I'm always here." Sora said, and it comforted Riku, yet worried him at the same time. He still excepted the embrace, holding Sora around his bony hips and letting his breath fall on the smaller boy's neck.

Sora suddenly pulled away, looking a little confused. Riku kept his hands on his hips but wondered if Sora was getting freaked out by Riku's sudden closeness.

But he didn't pull away. If he were disgusted, he would have pulled away. The look of confusion remained on his face, which was leaving Riku far more confused than Sora was. He wondered what would happened if he leaned in…

Sucking in his breath, Riku slowly leaned in to Sora, watching as Sora's eyes fluttered closed. Their lips came together softly, so that they almost weren't even touching. Riku put his hand on the back on Sora's neck and deepened the kiss with his tongue. Sora's mouth was soft and warm, and he kissed back before suddenly yanking himself away.

Riku immediately knew that the kiss had been a major mistake. I didn't mean to do that…he thought, but it was too late.

Sora stepped away from him, nearly falling over as his legs hit the bed. His hand was at his mouth, touching it with the tips of his fingers as if he wasn't sure what had just happened.

"Sora, I…" Riku said, holding out his hand to him, though he knew it was no use.

"Did we just…?" Sora stuttered, his hand falling from his lips.

Riku didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do or how to explain himself. So he kept silent and waited for Sora to react.

Sora's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you just kissed me! Tell me that didn't mean anything!" He ordered, his voice raising. Riku worried that someone would hear him yelling and come to see what was going on. Although Riku doubted anything in the world could make that moment worse.

"Sora, I've wanted to tell you something for a while…" Sora waved Riku's pleas off.

"Tell me that didn't mean anything!" He yelled again, his face turning a horrid shade of purple. Riku felt his face heating up, his eyes swelling, threatening tears. He was being rejected by the one person that mattered to him. But he kept a straight face, determined to take it like a man.

"Sora, I've been meaning to tell you that I love you. I really, really love you. I want to be with you." Riku explained quickly, his words running together in an awkward way. But he couldn't have cared less. To him, he didn't even care if Sora loved him back anymore. As long as he knew.

Sora couldn't even speak. It was like he had so many words dying to come out that his throat had sealed itself off. Riku! His best friend! Sora wasn't gay! He could never be, not for anyone, especially Riku!

He didn't want their friendship to go bad, but this had changed things. It had changed them, and nothing either of them could do or say would change it back to the way it was.

"You…you can't love me, Riku. I can't love you that way back." Sora croaked, his voice not his own, not hardly. He watched Riku's face pale and harden, like a wax statue.

Riku waved him off. "I should have known." He said, and he turned to leave.

He walked so fast that Sora had to run to catch up with him. "Wait! Riku!" he called, and Riku stopped, his eyes glazed. Sora had never seen him cry, and even now, the stubborn Riku had returned, refusing to let the tears leave his eyes.

"Does this mean we aren't friends anymore?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"If I want to be friends with you, would you feel comfortable?" Riku asked. He seemed to stumble on every word.

"…Not really." Sora said, feeling bad for it, but knowing that he needed to tell the truth.

Riku shook his head and gave him a weak smile. "I guess that answers your question, then." He walked out of the house, tears flowing from his eyes the minute he had turned away, and Sora didn't stop him.

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That night, Kadaj and Yazoo held a meeting for the Children of the Night in an old abandoned building. They had gone around town asking shady people if they knew of any Children, and if they did, they gave them a card inviting them to the meeting. If they were lying…they would end up on the menu.

Kadaj, Yazoo, and Riku had dressed their best for the occasion in matching black tuxedos with crimson ties. Riku was the only one of the silver haired trio that was less than enthusiastic about the meeting.

He was still hung up about Sora. Everytime they had seen each other in the hallways, Sora had looked away quickly as though not wanting to catch Riku's eye. Sora had obviously told Tidus about what had happened, because neither of them sat at their old table anymore. Riku sat alone, with occasional visits from Kairi and Mae, who were officially the cutest new couple at school.

Riku feared for Kairi's safety, but didn't dwell on it. The only thing that bothered him about Kairi and Mae being together was that it made him feel worse about his own failed relationships.

As Kadaj and Yazoo set up the building as though they were decorating for a party, Riku slumped around, refusing a drink of anything, alcohol or blood, if they offered it so him.

Kadaj was arranging wineglasses on a dirty oak table. He cast Riku a glare and growled at him. "Would you mind not moping around like a girl on her period and give us a hand?"

Yazoo laughed, elbowing Riku in the ribs. "Or at least look happy to be here."

Riku watched them as they set up the room wistfully, wishing things had happened differently. It was out of the question for him to even pretend to be happy. He had never felt so horrible in his life.

"Fuck you." He muttered.

Kadaj crossed the room to him, tipping his chin up with a finger so that Riku had no choice but to look him in the eye. "You feeling bad for what I've turned you into?" he said, his voice, soft, delicate, and yet still venomous.

Riku shook his head. "My life doesn't revolve around that." He muttered.

Kadaj slapped Riku with the flat of his hand, his movement so quick that Riku was stunned even after it had happened. His face stung. He realized that Kadaj was more of the enemy than the savior.

"Don't you ever use that tone with me again. Don't forget that I'm your Elder. You're nothing to me, I could put a stake through you before you even realized you were fucked." He snarled, then walked away, back to arranging the wineglasses.

Riku looked pathetically to Yazoo for some sort of support, but all he found was a smug grin across his face like he found situation hysterically funny, he just didn't want Riku to know.

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Mae hadn't wanted to go to the meeting for the vampires of New Orleans at first.

Of course he didn't. See those monsters again? Possibly witness more unnecessary human torture? No thanks, not for him. Riku had invited him, out of courtesy. Mae could see it in the kid's eyes that he still had good in him. He hadn't been completely corrupted by those immortals yet, but in no time it would happen.

Mae decided to go ten minutes after the meeting had technically started, as he eyed the clock in his bedroom, sprawled across his bed, with Lydia on the floor doing the same. Lydia had fed for the second time just an hour before, and had shared with Mae. They were full of blood, not wanting to be, knowing the criminals they were for doing it, but happy to not be thirsty anymore.

"There's a vampire meeting down at that old building on the end of the street." Mae mused, not caring if Lydia was listening or not.

He saw her sit up through the darkness. "Why don't we go? I'd love to meet some more vampires, maybe make some friends? Why didn't you tell me about this?" She said excitedly, waving away a lock of golden hair.

Mae shrugged. "The vamps that are holding it are the disgusting creatures that sired you and left you for dead." He said carelessly.

Lydia's face drastically changed. "Kadaj?" she asked, although the name hardly left her lips, she mostly only mouthed it.

Mae nodded. "Yes, him and the other two bastards."

Lydia's head sank. "Well, I want to go, then." She said in a slightly louder voice.

Mae glared at her through the darkness. "Well, you're not going. They're nasty. I don't care how tempting it is to meet other vampires, they'll be there, so there's no telling what kind of human sacrifice there'll be."

Lydia shook her head. "I need to meet more of my kind."

"You've got me."

Lydia reached over and slapped his arm. "No offense, but you're not enough to learn from. I just want to know what I am. I'm going."

Mae laughed at her. "Oh no you're fucking _not_."

Lydia stood up and put on her coat. "You're not my fucking mother, Mae. I'm going, and you can stay here and mope if you want. This is a good opportunity for me. I don't care if the bastard that did this to me is there."

Mae stood up after her. No way was he letting her go without him, knowing the kind of monster that was holding the meeting in the first place. "Then I'm coming."

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The building was darkly lit with tons of mismatched candles, all melting around themselves in puddles in their holders. There was a banquet by the small makeshift stage at the front of the room, where there was arrangement of refreshments, most of those made from some part of a human.

Lydia walked by what looked like several different types of casserole, her face scrunching up in disapproval. "Those smell really bad." She muttered as they passed them. A tall, beautiful man with what looked like yellow cat's eyes and a neat ponytail of chocolate hair leaned in to her and said with a cunning smile, "It's thigh casserole. Ever tried it, honey?"

Lydia scooted closer to Mae and shook her head.

"I see, a newcomer." The man said with another smile, displaying his quite impressive set of fangs. "I'm Emanuel."

Lydia smiled back, the corner of her mouth twitching, showing her horrible nervousness. "I'm Lydia, and this is Mae."

The man named Emanuel took a scoop of the neck casserole onto his plate and nodded to them. "And you?" he nodded to Mae. "And Elder, or a newcomer as well? Do you have a Master?"

Mae shook his head at the man, noticing the oddly placed crucifix dangling from the man's ear. It swung back and forth as he daintily ate his dinner. "I was sired about a month ago."

Emanuel nodded. "And the one who did it? He didn't keep you for his Childe? That's a little uncommon."

Mae shrugged. "It was a female. Yuffie was her name, but that was in Spain."

Emanuel narrowed his eyes as if concentrating on something. "Cute? Short? Black hair?" he asked, as if he actually knew whom Mae was speaking of. His heart jumped into his throat. Did Emanuel know of her?

Mae nodded. "Why? Do you know her?" he said, trying not to sound too desperate.

Emanuel shrugged. "I don't know her, formally. But I met her earlier this evening. Perhaps you should go to the door and see what you find…"

Mae swallowed hard, leaving Lydia and the vampire Emanuel near the back of the room, pushing through the small clusters of immortals to get to the front of the room, his hands shaking as if he didn't know what he was doing.

Although, truly, he didn't. If he found the girl that had sired him, what would he tell her? Would he be angry towards her, bitter and cold, or try to fight? No, that wasn't like him. Would he just introduce himself as if it were nothing? What was there to say?

And yet there she was, leaning against the corner of the wall, talking to Kadaj himself, with Yazoo beside him, and a dark looking man next to her with his hand protectively on her arm. So there had been a man that night…

He thought to approach her, and he probably would have, were it not for Kadaj and Yazoo standing there, the last people in the place he wanted to see. He thought for a while over whether he should just see if she recognized him as the night went on, but how would he go back to Emanuel and Lydia? Tell them he was too chicken to talk to her?

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the group of the four of them. Kadaj was the first to notice him approaching. "Mae! Why hello, how are you doing, you saintly little thing? Did you get rid of that vermin you took from me?"

Mae smirked at him, noticing that Yuffie had seen him, her expression turning blank. "She's here with me, tonight, actually. And her name is Lydia, by the way."

Mae turned his glance to Yuffie, as if he had just noticed her standing there. "Well, fancy meeting you here." He said casually, noticing the way her jaw was opened just slightly, as if she had nothing to say.

The dark man, with those deep, black eyes, glared at Mae and then looked to Yuffie. "Yuffie? Do you know him?" He asked.

Yuffie shook her head at first before turning it into a nod, her eyes never leaving Mae. "Yes, we uh, met…once."

Mae smiled at the dark man. "Oh yeah, we met once, back in Spain? I don't guess you were there…" He extended his hand to the immortal. "I'm Mae."

The man didn't except his hand, only stared at him as if he were something that needed to be crushed. "Vincent." He said simply. "Valentine."

Yuffie took Vincent's arm. "It's not what you think, Vincent, it was that night you went off to drink and I just happened to sire him. I didn't have the heart to kill him. Nothing else happened, I swear."

Vincent's intense glare lightened, but not considerably. Mae gave a carefree laugh. "Yeah, that was it, she just ruined my life, made me immortal, left me for dead…no biggie."

Yuffie suddenly looked drained and guilty. Serves her fucking right, Mae thought to himself. "Listen, Mae, I needed somebody and you were the only person I wanted to drink from, surely you understand now that you're immortal too…" she explained, her voice faltering several times.

Mae frowned. "Actually, no, I don't understand. The least you could have done would have been to kill me, or waited until I was conscious to at least let me know what the fuck you'd turned me into." He kept lightness in his voice so that the immortal named Vincent wouldn't beat his head in.

Yuffie frowned. "I just…I was thirsty, not thinking, and…well honestly I wasn't very concerned about you. I know it was wrong. I hope you can forgive me." She was so cute that Mae found it hard to hold a grudge, although on second thought a grudge was kind of a stupid thing to hold against someone when you've got a whole eternity to hold it against them.

He gave her a small smile. "Nah, I won't hold it against you. It was a shitty thing to do, don't get me wrong, but it'd be even more shitty if I stayed angry."

Yuffie grinned. "Good! How ya been, kid?"

Vincent's look had softened towards Mae, so he felt more at ease to act himself. "I've been keeping up." He told her with a nod. Kadaj and Yazoo had already migrated away to different immortals to mingle with, leaving just the three of them.

There was a comfortable silence before there was the sound of a bell ringing from the front of the room. Mae looked up to see Kadaj standing at the center of the stage, his magnificent fangs showing through his seemingly innocent smile.

Mae spotted Yazoo off to the side of the stage with his hand around Riku's shoulders. "Hello, vampires of New Orleans!" He said, his voice booming throughout the room. There was probably a little less than one hundred immortals in the place, most of which screamed affectionate catcalls to Kadaj.

Kadaj pressed his palms together. "I'm so glad we can all be here together tonight! When was the last time we have been together with our kind?"

Mae had noticed that most of the immortals here looked like streetrats, disgusting things you would see in the darkness of the alleys and nowhere else. Some of them wore black makeup and peircings; Mae took them to be wanna-be vampires who were in for a surprise when they realized that this was all for real.

Mae had always imagined other vampires to be classy, or suave, with nice clothes, almost like mortals, except more high class. But these were far from it. He almost wanted to believe that all of them were fakers. But they couldn't be, not in this city…

He felt a tug at his sleeve, and looked down to find Lydia, and next to her, Emanuel, the only immortal that looked like he should. Kadaj let out a howl of laughter. "I hope that you all will find each other's company entertaining. And as a token of my gratitude…" Kadaj stepped away, and four enormous immortals, each with wide shoulders and twisted faces, and they carried with them four women.

Mae didn't recognize any of them, but he noticed that they were all wearing a sort of work suit, so they had probably been captured by Kadaj and his giant vampires after leaving work. They each had duct tape over their mouths, and their hands were bound in front of them with ropes. The immortals pushed them forward, so that they stumbled and fell, emitting low, frightened screams.

Mae's breath caught in his throat. They had done nothing to deserve this. None of these vampires were starving, they were doing this for pleasure. For the fun of it. Mae could hardly bear the thought. Obviously, those in the crowd were true immortals, for they did not gasp or scream at the sight of the women, only edged closer to the stage.

"Feast, my brothers and sisters! We are GODS!" Kadaj said, causing an uproar of cheers from the crowd.

Kadaj took one of the women in his grasp and savagely ripped open her throat, her life's blood spilling all over her front. The rest of the women wriggled away, but they knew the end would come without any mercy.

"Not only are we gods," Kadaj roared, his mouth smeared red, "But we are the CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!"

As if this were his word of consent, the vampires rushed to the stage, ripping at the women with their treacherous fangs. Soon, the whole place was like a massacre. There was blood everywhere, screams of pleasure and torture, everyone slipping in the horrid array of blood.

Lydia turned her head, and Mae took her hand. "Let's get out of here." He said quietly, and they headed for the door.

Emanuel waved them off, blood smeared across his cheek, looking out of place with his dainty etiquette. "Do keep in touch!" he yelled.

As they passed the door, Mae caught sight of Yuffie and Vincent, looking just as disgusted as Mae felt. Mae caught her eye for a split second, and some unspoken thing was said between them, although Mae couldn't be sure what it meant.

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Odd ending, once again. Sorry for the wait, but I've also been working on school, rping, another fic, and an original story. Please read and review!

-Mel


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